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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 







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^Justice, I accept thy terms." 



WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



BY 



JOHN CAMPBELL. 



IMPROVED EDITION. 




BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED BY HEATH & GRAVES, 

No. 79 Cornhill. 

1854. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by 

HEATH & GRAVES, 
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 



BTEReOTTPED BV 

HOBART & ROBBINS, 

New England Type & Stereotype Founder/, 

BOS t ON. 



PREFACE 

TO THE 

SECOND AMERICAN EDITION. 



A GOOD and sufficient reason for giving the 
" Walks of Usefulness " to the American public, is 
found in the various lessons taught us in the pic- 
ture fronting the title-page. One chief lesson, 
reaching the heart through the eyes, is that, by the 
unmeasured grace of God, manifest in the doctrines 
and death of the Messiah, every believer is Christ's, 
and hence that he must now, constrained by the 
love of God, be momentarily useful. To furnish 
hints adapted to aid a Christian in doing good, 
"wherever he may be, whatever he may be doing, 
in each successive moment of his life upon earth, 
is the design of the following book. Of one thing 
we feel certain ; those who are active in sending 
the book forth have an expectation that it will be 



4 PREFACE TO THE 

successful in giving the aid mentioned, and that 
flowing from its pages, through the direction of 
divine Providence, and the power of the divine 
Spirit, will be felt an influence greatly increasing 
the zeal, faith and humilitv of professed Chris- 
tians. In an eflbrt to introduce a book well 
adapted to stimulate the reader to do a useful 
work in each individual moment of his life, whilst 
he always acknowledges his dependence upon 
divine power for a disposition to labor and for 
success, there are many persons who deeply sym- 
pathize, — persons who have received such discipline 
from the hands of the supremely Good, as to be 
greatly and mostly anxious to have treasures in the 
unseen world. By such persons the re-perusal of 
the book is certain ; and their recommendation of 
it, it is anticipated, will be accompanied with 
prayers that the instructions of its pages will 
become controlling over the minds of the readers, 
leading them to a new dedication of themselves to 
the service of Christ. 

In the hands of the young, who have lately been 
promoted to the exalted position of loving the light 
of truth and the yoke of Christ, it is desired that, 
in addition to other influences, the book may lead 
to the formation of correct religious habits. The 




SECOND AMERICAN EDITION. 5 

value of Christlike habits of piety may have 
received only an inconsiderable portion of the 
attention of the modern church. "When attention 
shall be given to them, in connection with an effort 
on the part of the church to develop, strengthen 
and direct, to a degree of completeness as yet 
unattained, the powers of usefulness brought within 
its pale by the accession of new members, then the 
value of correct religious habits will be as highly 
esteemed as their efficiency is seen to be far- 
reaching, constant and cumulative. If a habit of 
momentary usefulness, connected with the belief 
that Grod can be worshipped by our gifts and 
services, poor and imperfect at the best, becomes 
fixed in those now young in the church, "to 
grow with their growth, and strengthen with their 
strength," influencing their elder brethren, and 
descending as a priceless legacy to those who may 
come after them, an end will be achieved, through 
the riches of heavenly goodness, over which the 
spirits of the just made perfect may rejoice. The 
following portrait of Walks of Usefulness, it is 
devoutly prayed, may contribute to the adoption 
of such a mode of life, and thus greatly increase 
the piety and peace, and augment the power to do 
good, of the many thousands of young Christians 
1^ 



6 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 

now receiving a life-long impression of practical 
godliness in the churches, whom may the Saviour 
teach to be strong in himself, as he taught his 
youngest disciple John ; and as Paul taught 
Timothy and Titus. M. M. D. 

Boston, Mass., 1853. 



PEEFACE. 



The following work was begun under a strong 
conviction that much more might be done for the 
salvation of men than has yet been accomplished 
or perhaps attempted. If every Christian were to 
consider himself a missionary from God to such 
perishing men as he has access to, — which he cer- 
tainly is, — much good might be done every day. If 
every nobleman, and every gentleman not engaged 
in business, and who knows the grace of Jesus 
Christ, were acting according to the example set 
before them in this publication, the attention of 
the careless poor would be much more directed to 
divine subjects than at present is the case. 

Perhaps some may object to this method of 
doing good as rather a mean and degrading em- 
ployment for a man of rank. To this it may be 
replied, that not a few men of rank frequently 



8 PREFACE. 

stoop to meaner practice, and to obtain an infinitely 
less important object. But there can be no degra- 
dation in their attending to the practice here 
recommended ; for it is their duty to " condescend 
to men of low estate," and it will finally redound 
to their honor ; for those " who are wise, and turn 
many to righteousness, shall shine as the brightness 
of the firmament, and as the stars forever and 
ever." 

But I would not only urge the practice on those 
who move in higher circles, but upon all the friends 
of Jesus, from the prince down to the pauper in 
the parish work-house, and can assure them, from 
some experience and observation, that there is 
little danger of their meeting with abusive language, 
or any interruption from those whom they may 
address, if they do it with prudence and affection. 

Let not females suppose that their sex exempts 
them from attending to this important concern. 
Providence presents opportunities of usefulness to 
them as well as to men ; and it is of importance 
for them also to occupy their talents till Christ 
shall come. 

I am persuaded that many are deterred from 
entering this wide field of usefulness, from an ap- 
prehension that insurmountable difficulties are in 



PREFACE. 9 

the way, rather than from an aversion to the work. 
It is hoped that the examples contained in these 
pages will convince them that their fears are 
groundless. 

The satisfaction of mind which a person so 
employed might enjoy every evening, while reflect- 
ing on the occurrences of the day, would richly 
compensate for all the toil and trouble ; for he 
who watereth others, from love to Jesus and to 
them, will find his own soul like a well-watered 
garden, or a field which the Lord hath blessed. 
The good man shall be satisfied from himself. 

If this work commends itself to our consciences 
as a good work, let us covet earnestly the requisite 
gifts for performing it ; let us meditate much on 
the eternal and astonishing love of God to sinners ; 
on the arduous work which the Son of God accom- 
plished for their redemption ; on the shortness of 
the period allotted to us for honoring God in such 
a way ; and on the awful and endless miseries 
which saved sinners escape, and the inconceivable 
glories to which they are raised. If these things 
dwell richly and powerfully in our minds, whether we 
move in the higher or lower circles of life, we shall 
feel disposed and fitted for this important service. 

Though I have presented these Walks of Useful- 



10 PREFACE. 

ness to the public, I have to confess, with shame, 
that they describe in many instances, what might 
have been done, rather than what, in many cases, 
I have really done. It is my sincere desire that 
they may excite both the writer and the reader to 
greater exertions for the welfare of others, and to 
a more constant and ardent imitation of the bright 
example of the Friend of sinners, who had com- 
passion on the ignorant, and on them that were 
out of the way ; who went about doing good ; 
and of whom it is said, " the common people 
heard him gladly." 

KiNGLAND. J. C. 



CONTENTS. 



The Welch Preacher, 13 

I. 

On the Conduct of Diogenes. — Walk in Search of a Wise Man. — 
Conversation with a Beggar. — A Watchman, 21 

II. 

Conversation with a Lady. — A Gardener. — A Mole-catcher. — Boy 
and Bird's-nest. — Angler, 23 

III. 

Walk in the Main Street. — Conversation with two Gentlemen. — A 
Fish-woman. — A Goldsmith. — A Physician. — A Jew. — A Fop. — 
A Carman, 42 

IV. 

Arrival of an Express. — The Locksmith. — Self-reflections. — An Old 
Soldier, 54 

V. 

Conversation about a Candle and Snuffers. — An Open Door. — Walk 
in London Improved. — The Hammer-maker. — A Miner. — Show 
of Wild Beasts, 63 

VI. 

A River. — The Pensioner. — Various Characters in the Streets.— 
Man Enclosing a Garden, 76 



12 CONTENTS. 



VII. 

Conversation with a Banker. — Visit to a School for Deaf and Dumb 

— to an Engraver and Print-seller. — Walk and Conversation in 
Bunhill-fields. — The Grave-digger, 86 

VIII. 

Second Visit to Bunhill-fields. — The Grave-digger. — the Disconsolate 
Father. — The Little Boy. — Old Woman. — Inscriptions on Tombs. 

— An Ass — The Letter Carrier, . .100 

IX. 

House on Fire. — The Becruiting Sergeant. — The Trumpeter. -^ 
Waiting Servant to the King. — Westminster Scholar, .... Ill 

X. 

The Looking-glass. — The Cobbler. — The Earthen-ware Shop 

, The Apple-tree. — Stage-coach Passengers, . 122 

XI. 

High Wind. — The Black Servant. — The Prison. — Deputation from 
Society for Believing Small Debtors, &c., &c, 133 

XII. 

Conversation at Breakfast. — The Smith's Shop. — A Funeral. — 
Sheep going to the Slaughter-house. — Peace Proclaimed, . . . 145 

XIII. 

Elegant Mansion. — Two Men Returning from Market. — A Sieve. — 
Servant Girl, 154 



The Christian Traveller in America, 168 



THE WELCH PREACHER. 

[SEE FRONTISPIECE.] 

Being invited, by Rev. Mr. , to sup 

with a company of his brethren in the minis- 
try, I met with the pastor of a Welch church. 
He was an entire stranger to the company, 
and silently attentive to the conversation of 
his brethren. The conversation turned on the 
different strains of public preaching. Several 
having given their opinion, and mentioned in- 
dividuals as models as to style of composition, 
&c., turning to the Welch stranger, I inquired 
his opinion. 

*'I feel it a privilege^''^ said he, ^Ho be 
silent when such men are discoursing ; but I 
feel it a duty to comply with your request. 
But if I must give my opinion, I should say 
that you have no good preachers in England." 

^^ No good preachers ? " said I. 
2 



14 THE WELCH PREACHER. 

" No ; that is, I mean no such preachers as 
we have in the principality." 

^^I know you are famous for jumping in 
Wales ; but that is not owing, I suppose, so 
much to the strain of preaching which the 
people hear, as to the enthusiasm of their 
characters." 

''Indeed, sir, you would jump, too, if you 
heard and understood such preaching." 

''Do you think," said Mr. L , "that I 

could make them jump if I were to preach to 
them?" 

" You make them jump ? Why, sir, a 
Welchman would set fire to the world, while 
you Englishmen are lighting your match." 

The whole company became intensely inter- 
ested in this new turn of conversation, and 
solicited from the stranger a specimen of the 
manner and style of preaching in the princi- 
pality. 

"Specimen I cannot give you; — if John 
Elias were here, he would give you a speci- 
men indeed. 0, John Elias is a great 
preacher ! " 



THE WELCH PREACHER. 15 

'* Well," said the company, ^-'give us some- 
thing that you have heard from him.'- 

'' 0, no ! I cannot do justice to him : — 
besides, do you understand the Welch lan- 
guage?" 

^•Not so as to follow a discourse," was the 
reply. 

*^Then it would be impossible for you to 
understand it, were I to give you a speci- 
men." 

^'But cannot you put it into English?"' was 
the query. 

** 0, your poor, meagre language would spoil 
it ! It is not capable of expressing those ideas 
which a Welchman can conceive. I cannot 
give you a specimen in Enghsh, without spoil- 
ing it." 

But the interest of the company had become 
so intense, that nothing would do but some- 
thing of a specimen. They promised to make 
every allowance for language. 

^'Well," said the Welchman, ^* if you must 
have a piece, I will try. But I don't know 
what to give you. I do not recollect any piece 
from John Elias ; he is our best preacher. I 



16 THE WELCH PREACHER. 

must think a little. Well, I recollect a piece 
of Christmas Evans. Christmas Evans is a 
good preacher, and I heard him a little time 
ago at an association of ministers. He was 
preaching on the depravity of man by sin, and 
of his recovery by the death of Christ." 

'^Brethren," said he, ^4f I were to repre- 
sent to you in a figure the condition of man 
as a sinner, and the means of his recovery by 
the cross of Jesus Christ, I should represent it 
somewhat in this way. Suppose a large grave- 
yard, surrounded by a high wall, with only 
one entrance, which is by a large iron gate, 
fast bolted. Within these walls are thousands 
and tens of thousands of human beings, of all 
ages and of all classes, by one epidemic disease 
bending to the grave ; — the grave yawns to 
swallow them, and they must all die. There 
is no balm to relieve them, no physician there ; 
they must perish. This is the condition of 
man as a sinner; — all, all have sinned, and 
* the soul that sinneth it shall die.' 

^' While man was in this deplorable state, 
Mercy ^ the darling attribute of Deity, came 



THE ^VELCH PREACHER. 17 

down and stood at the gate, looked at the scene 
and wept over it, exclaiming, 

'^ ' that I might enter ! I would bind up 
their wounds, I would relieve their sorrows, I 
would save their souls ! ' 

*' While Mercy stood weeping at the gate, 
an embassy of angels, commissioned from the 
court of heaven to some other world, passing 
over, paused at the sight, and Heaven forgave 
that pause ; and seeing Mercy standing there, 
they cried, 

/• ' Mercy, Mercy, can you not enter ? Can 
you look upon this scene, and not pity ? Can 
you pity, and not relieve ? ' 

*' Mercy replied, ^I can see;' and in her 
tears she added, 'I can pity, but I cannot 
relieve.' 

" * Why can you not enter ? ' 

'' ' 0,' said Mercy, ' Justice has barred the 
gate against me, and I cannot, must not un- 
bar it ! ' 

^' At this moment Justice himself appeared, 
as it were to watch the gate. The angels 
inquired of him, 

'' ^ Why will you not let Mercy in ? ' 
2=^ 



18 THE WELCH PREACHER. 

'^Justice replied, ^ My law is broken, and 
it must be honored. Die they or Justice 
must ! ' 

'^ At this, there appeared a form among the 
angelic band, like unto the Son of God, who, 
addressing himself to Justice, said, 

^' ' What are thy demands 7 ' 

''Justice replied, 'My terms are stern and 
rigid ; I must have sickness for their health ; 
I must have ignominy for their honor ; I must 
have death for life. ^''Without shedding of 
blood there is no remission.^ ^ ' 

'' ' Justice, / accept thy terms. On me be 
this wrong, and let Mercy enter.' 

'''When,' said Justice, 'will you perform 
this promise ? ' 

" ' Four thousand years hence, upon the hill 
of Calvary, without the gates of Jerusalem, I 
will perform it in my own person.' 

"The deed was prepared and signed in the 
presence of the angels of God ; -^ Justice was 
satisfied, and Mercy entered, preaching salva- 
tion in the name of Jesus. The deed was 
committed to the patriarchs ; by them to the 
kings of Israel and the prophets ; by them it 



THE WELCH PREACHER. 19 

wag preserved till Daniel's seventy weeks 
were accomplished ; then, at the appointed 
time, Justice appeared on the hill of Calvary, 
and Mercy presented to him the important 
deed. 

^'^ Where,' said Justice, 4s the Son of 
Godr 

^^ Mercy answered, ^ Behold him at the bot- 
tom of the hill, bearing his own cross.' 

*' And then she departed, and stood aloof at 
the hour of trial. Jesus ascended the hill, 
while in his train followed his weeping church. 
Justice immediately presented him with the 
deed, saying, 

^' ^ This is the day when this bond is to be 
executed.' 

" When he received it, did he tear it in 
pieces and give it to the winds of heaven 7 
No, he nailed it to his cross, exclaiming, ^ It 
is finished.' 

^'Justice called on holy fire to come down 
and consume the sacrifice. Holy fire de- 
scended ; — it swallowed his humanity, but 
when it touched his Deity, it expired ! and 
there was darkness over the whole heavens ; 



20 THE WELCH PREACHER. 

but ' glory to God in the highest ; on earth, 
peace, good will to men.' M 

'^ This," said the Welchman, "this is but a 
specimen of Christmas Evans." 



WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



I. 

On the Conduct of Diogenes. — Walk in Search of a Wise 
I Man, — Conversation with a Beggar. — A Watchman. 

A FEW evenings ago, I was conversing with 
, some friends on the strano^e conduct of Dioo;- 
I enes, the Cynic philosopher, who went at high 
I noon into the market place at Athens, with a 
I lighted candle and lantern in his hand, and 
who, when asked what he sought for, answered, 
^^A?i honest man! " When I went to bed, I 
first dreamed of Diogenes, and then supposed 
that I set out upon a similar excursion along 
the streets of . I accosted the first per- 
son I met, and inquired '^ whether he had wor- 
shipped his God that morning." 

He bluntly told me he had not, upon which 
I replied, 



22 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

^^ You are not a wise man ; for you have 
neither thanked God for preserving you the 
past night, nor solicited his protection and 
direction during this day. God may thereby 
be provoked to protect you no more ; and he 
may permit you to make some losing bargains 
in business to-day ; for he who trusts to his 
own understanding in any matter is a fool, 
since he might have had the aid of infinite wis- 
dom to teach him to transact his business with 
discretion ; wherefore, friend, be wise, and 
consider these things." 

After this I moved forward to a second per- 
son, of whom I inquired, ^^ whether he had 
read any part of the Scriptures to-day." 

'^No," said he, "I have not seen a Bible 
since last Sunday." 

^^Then, friend," said I, ^^you have not 
obeyed the counsels of Wisdom, for she recom- 
mends waiting daily at her gates, and listening 
to her instructions." 

He assured me he had no leisure for such 
matters. 

I asked, '4f he ever found leisure to attend 
to his business, or to keep his books." 



IN SEARCH OF A WISE MAN. 23 

" Yes, sure ; for were I not to do that my 
family would suflFer." 

'^Ay, but if you neglect the other your 
own soul will suffer, and be ruined forever." 
He shrugged his shoulders and walked off. 

I then stopped a man who was running 
along full speed. When he stood still I 
perceived he was almost out of breath. I 
made bold to ask him, ^^why he made such 
haste." 

He said ^'he was afraid he should be too 
late at market, and that his neighbors would 
have bought up everything." 

^^Now, friend, tell me, was you ever as 
much in earnest after God and eternal life? " 

On hearing the question he was for running 
off, without making any answer, but I detained 
him till he confessed '^he had never been much 
concerned either to seek God or obtain eternal 
life; that other pursuits engrossed all his 
attention." 

'^But," said I, *'you can have no other 
pursuit of so much importance as to have the 
enjoyment of God's friendship, and the hope 
of eternal life." 



24 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

^^ That may be all very true, but to market 
I must run just now," and away he went in 
great haste. 



The next person with whom I engaged in 
conversation, was a poor BEGaAR, sitting by 
the wayside. I inquired, "how long he had 
been in the practice of begging." 

"More than twenty years," said he. 

"And, pray, how much of these twenty 
years has been employed in begging spiritual 
and eternal riches from God ? " 

"Very little, indeed," said the poor man. 

"What account will you be able to render 
to God for having begged so long, and with 
such earnestness, for a few pence, while you 
neglected to solicit him to pardon your sins, to 
sanctify your soul, and to give you an inher- 
itance among his people ? " 

Here he shook his head and said, "I know 
not." 

"Before I leave you, listen to this advice; 
seek not only for the bread that perishes with 



A WATCHMAN. 25 

the using, but for that also which endureth to 
everlasting life.^' 



Determining not to be idle, I looked round 
in order to fix upon some person with whom I 
might next converse. Observing a watchman 
moving slowly along, I went forward to him 
and inquired, ''what he had been about, for 
he seemed much fatigued." 

*' No wonder I am fatigued," said he, ^'hav- 
ing been on watch the whole of last night, 
which was both cold and boisterous." 

^' Well, friend," said I, ''tell me what occu- 
pied your thoughts most during the long and 
tedious night." 

"I thought chiefly how I might keep my- 
self dry and warm." 

" But did you think nothing of the dark and 
dolefulnight of death?" 

" No, sir, indeed I did not." 

" But you must think of it soon, for I see 
there are gray hairs here and there upon your 
head." Upon which he took 00" his hat and 



26 WALES OF USEFULNESS. 

combed down his hair with his fingers, but 
made no reply. 

'^ Now do converse with me, friend; I shall 
not detain you long from breakfast. Tell me, 
do you ever look up to the starry heavens, to 
view them as proclaiming the glory of the 
great Creator and Supporter?" 

^^ Indeed, sir, to tell you the truth, I never 
thought much about these things ; only I said 
one night to my neighbor, Tom Thellison, that 
I wished all the stars were so brought together 
as to make one tolerable moon that would 
shine every night for us ; and Tom said it was 
a happy thought." 

'^ Are you not very thankful when the moon- 
light nights arrive '? " 

'' Indeed I am," said the watchman. 

^^But had you always moonhght, you would, 
perhaps, not be thankful for it one minute dur- 
ing the three hundred and sixty-five nights of 
the year ; so God teaches us the value of some 
of his mercies by depriving us of them for a 
while. Instead of murmuring against God for 
withdrawing his moon from us now and then, 
we should rather thank him that he does not 



A WATCHMAN. 27 

withdraw the sun for the half of every month. 
Were he to do so, this would be a much more 
gloomy world than it is. 

^* You watch the street lest the inhabitants 
should be robbed of their property, do you 
not?" 

" To be sure. I am not watching to prevent 
the houses running away." 

'^ Be serious, friend; are you ever afraid of 
being robbed of your soul's happiness?" 

'^ Who can rob me of that ? " 

^' The devil." 

^'How?" 

^^By keeping you from serious thoughts 
about it, from reading the Scriptures, from 
hearing the gospel preached, that when you 
die he may get your soul to his awful prison 
of hell. If you were once acquainted with 
God, he could make your watch-box a kind of 
Bethel, as a house of God, a gate of heaven ; 
then, instead of longing for morning light, you 
would wonder how soon the darkness passed 
and was gone." 

'' If that were the case," said he, ^' I should 
be a much happier man than I am at present ; 



28 



WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



for in these long nights I become tired and 
fretful, and as angry as a tiger, and I go home 
and scold my wife, and that makes us all mis- 
erable and unhappy ; for, by my usage of her, 
I teach her to scold me as I scold her." 

^^ Go home, now," said I, '' and think upon 
these things." He took my advice and went 
away very thoughtful. 



II. 



Conversation with a Lady. — A Mole-catclier. — Boy and 
Bird's-nest. — Angler. 

The first person I met, on walking a little 
distance from London, was a lady, elegantly 
dressed, who was almost afraid to let her feet 
touch the ground. 

^' Madam," said I, "excuse me if I ask, 
what employed your thoughts this morning, 
before you left home." 

" Sir," said she, " if I must tell you, I have 



LADY. 29 

been thinking a great deal about a foolish man- 
tua-maker, who has completely spoiled my 
gown.** 

^' But, in a morning, should not some more 
important matter engage our attention ; such, 
for example, as the worth of the soul, the glory 
of God, the value of a Saviour, the morning of 
the resurrection, a judgment to come, &c. 'I *' 

This made her serious for a moment ; but, 
by forcing a little courage, she asked, with a 
sneer, 

^' Should we always be thinking about these 
things ? " 

'• In heaven,*' said I, '^ they are always con- 
templating the things of God, and they are far 
from being unhappy. If we do not think 
always of them, we should certainly think 
sometimes, and no time more proper than in 
the morning, when we are entering upon a new 
day ; it would prepare our minds for repelling 
the temptations and escaping the snares to 
which we may be exposed during the day ; it 
might furnish suitable and useful matter for 
conversation with friends whom we may meet." 

*'But, sir, I do not like to think of such 
3* 



30 



WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



things ; and though I did, I should not know 
what to think of them, for I know but little 
of them." 

'' I perceive, madam, you stand in need of a 
new heart and a new spirit from God ; without 
these, you cannot see the glories of the King, 
or the kingdom of God." 

'' Then, according to your account of me, I 
am blind," 

'^ Yes, madam, and would to God you knew 
it ! Then would you come to Jesus in prayer 
to open the eyes of your understanding, that 
you might behold the wondrous things con- 
tained in his law. After this, you would order 
the fashions and follies of this vain world to 
retire to the background ; then you would be 
desirous to obtain wisdom from God, who has 
promised to bestow this blessing on them who 
seek it of him." 

'^ Do you then consider me as a fool, sir 7 " 

^'I do not consider you as possessed of that 
true wisdom that cometh from above. Pray, 
madam, did you ever laugh, in the theatre, at 
their droll representations of drunkenness and 
debauchery?" 



LADY. 31 

^' To be sure I have ; and, were the gravest 
philosopher in Europe there, he would laugh 
too." 

"Well, madam, by your own confession you 
make a jest of sin; and God pronounces all 
fools who do so." 

^•If you were present yourself," said she, 
"be you who you may, my word for it, you 
would laugh as heartily as any person in the 
house." 

" Lest I should do so, I will not go ; for I 
am taught to pray unto God, ' Lead me not 
into temptation ;' consequently I must not rush 
into it myself. Likewise, when a person has 
frequently laughed at a vice, he will not after- 
wards hold it in great abhorrence. These 
theatrical representations ruin the morals of 
the age, and bring down judgments on the 
nation." 

" Stop, stop ! you are carrying the matter 
too far ; for if you go on with that kind of 
reasoning, you will make us out to be a very 
wicked nation indeed ! " 

"Yes, madam, we are a sinful nation, a 
people laden with iniquity." 



32 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

^^ Pray, where have you come from this morn- 
ing? " said the lady. 

''I have come, madam, from my closet, where 
I poured out my soul unto my God, beseeching 
him that he would enable me to do some good 
to-day in the world ; and by this conversation I 
am desirous of doing good to you ; and that you 
may be prevailed on to cease to do evil, and 
may learn to do well." 

Upon this a young lady came frisking along, 
and calling out to the person with whom I was 
conversing, 

•'0, madam, I am glad I have met you; the 
company are all waiting, and wondering what 
has detained you ! " On which the lady walked 
ofi" to her company. 



A GARDENER was the next person who at- 
tracted my attention. He was carrying a 
number of young trees under his arm. I 
asked, 

'' Where did those trees grow ? " 
He told me they had grown in his employ- 
er's nursery. 



GARDENER. 33 

^^Is it not wonderful," said I, 'Hhat such 
trees should grow at all '] " 

^' No," said he ; '-our ground is remarkably 
good, and we give it plenty of manure." 

'^True, friend; but both the ground and 
manure are dead ; is it not, therefore, wonder- 
ful that they can send up such beautiful trees, 
bearing flowers and fruit 7 " 

*' All good ground does that," said he. 

^^Very true; but supposing that not one 
tree or shrub, or anything, had risen out of 
the ground from the beginning of the world 
till the present day, and that now, for the first 
time, we had observed all these things spring- 
ing up from the earth, what should we have 
thought?" 

^* Indeed, sir, I cannot tell ; perhaps we 
should have thought that there were a num- 
ber of ingenious people, under ground, sending 
them up ; and, probably, curiosity would have 
prompted us to have dug down and examined 
the cause." 

''Then you will allow that some Being sends 
the plants up 7" 

'' Surely, sir, and it must be God ; for all 



34 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

the gardeners iu the universe could not make 
a tulip." 

''Well said, gardener! you are the wisest 
man I have met with to-day. Can you inform 
me, gardener, how many different kinds of 
flowers there are?" 

''No, I cannot, for they are innumerable; 
there is not a man alive who has seen them 
all ; and we are getting new flowers from 
abroad every year." 

" Do you think that any gardener could 
invent a new flower, completely different from 
all that God has formed ? " 

"No, I believe not; for variety is ex- 
hausted." 

" But could not God produce, in a moment, 
as great a variety as he has done already, 
perfectly different from all which at present 
exist?" 

" No doubt he could ; for no bounds can be 
set to infinite wisdom and power. He could 
create a thousand worlds in the twinkling of 
an eye, as large as this one, and not two of 
them in the least resembling each other." 

" Did you ever reflect, gardener, that it 



GARDENER. 35 

requires the same power to destroy a world 
that was requisite to produce it ? " 

^' No, I do not think I ever did ; but I per- 
ceive it must be so ; for, though all the men in 
the world were to set about destroying it, they 
could only dig a few holes in it, which would 
soon be filled with water, and then they must 
give over digging. But He who said, ' Let 
there be light, and there was light,' could 
have said again, Let there be no light, and 
instantly there would have been nothing but 
darkness.'' 

''' Do you think that God alone can change 
the heart?" 

Here he said, emphatically, ^'I am sure 
none else can, for I have often attempted, but 
in vain, to change my heart ; nor can any man 
do it for me ; but I went to God, and the old 
heart melted down before him, and he gave me 
a heart to fear and love him." 

Thus I found the gardener a much wiser 
man than, at the beginning of the conversation, 
I expected to find him. 



36 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

A man near me was telling another that he 
was a MOLE-CATCHER. Turning about to him, 
I said, 

'' Friend, you will be able to tell me whether 
it be a true report that I have heard of the mole, 
that it hath no eyes." 

''0," said he, ^^ that is all false ; their eyes 
are small, but they can see as well as you or 
I ; indeed, I sometimes think they both see and 
hear too well, for I find it very dijQScult to get 
hold of them." 

" The Bible declares that all men are born 
blind ; do you consider that a true report 7 " 

"Not I," said he; "it is almost the reverse; 
for there are very few born blind." 

" Do you not think that some men are blind 
to their own interest ? " 

"Yes," said he, "many, and I am one 
myself; for had I taken my father's advice, 
and gone to the business which he recom- 
mended, I might have been riding to-day in 
my carriage." 

"Well, that is a proof of blindness as it 
respects the things of this life ; but do you not 
think that all men are by nature blind to the 



BOY AND BIRD'S-NEST. 37 

importance and glory of the things of God 1 — 
blind to the worth of the soul, the beauty of 
holiness, and necessity of a Redeemer ? Did 
you ever know one who naturally preferred 
these things to the vanities of this world 7 " 

'^ Such a one," said he, *' would be fit to be 
placed in a museum of curiosities." 

^*Take care, then, friend, that you be not 
more blind than the mole, to your own immor- 
tal interests." 

Looking to his companion, he said, ^' What 
do you think of all this divinity ? Is not the 
man perfectly sound ? " 

^' Yes," said he; ^^and if he be right, you 
and I are both wTong." 



Looking about me, I perceived a little boy 
carrying a bird's-nest. Persuaded that the 
soul of this boy was as valuable as the soul of 
an emperor, I considered it my duty to endeav- 
or to be of service to him. For this purpose I 
asked him, 

^' What do you carry in your hand 1 " 
^^ A bird's-nest," said he, smiling. 
4 



38 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

^' Who made that nest?" 

^^ A bullfinch." 

^^ Who taught it to make the nest so 
neatly?" 

^^Its father, I suppose," said the boy. 

^'No such thing; for all the bullfinches in 
the world build them exactly in the same man- 
ner ; and the young ones build their first nest 
as neatly as the old ones build their last. Now, 
are not the oldest scholars at your school better 
readers than those who came to school last 
week?" 

"Yes, surely," said he. — "Who was it, 
then, who taught the bullfinch to build its 
nest?" 

"It was God: and he will teach you to do 
greater things than he teaches the bullfinch, if 
you get acquainted with him. But is it not 
cruel to take away the nest from the bull- 
finch?" 

" No ; what cruelty is there in it ? " 

" When you go to your bed-room to-night, 
should you find that some person had run oflf 
with your bed, would you not be sorry ? The 
poor bullfinch will not have a nest to sleep in 



ANGLER. 39 

to-night, because you have taken it away ; she 
will likewise have to lament the loss of her 
young ones ; and were you now near her, you 
would hear her uttering some doleful notes, 
lamenting over a lost nest, and a lost family." 

On telling him these things, the tears came 
trickling down his cheeks. 

"I see," said I, ^'you are weeping because 
you injured the bullfinch ; did you ever weep 
because you have offended your God, who gave 
you life, and health, and every good thing that 
ever you had ? Go home and get acquainted 
with Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners, and 
through him you shall obtain pardon of all 
your sins, and he will wipe away, forever, all 
tears from your eyes." 



Perceiving a man AXGLixa at a little dis- 
tance, I hastened toward him. To introduce 
a conversation, I inquired, 

''Have you caught many fish this morn- 



inor 



7 " 



'•No," said he, ''they will not take the 
bait." 



40 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



^'Did you ever hear of people being sent 
out to fish for men ? " 

^^No," said he, smiling. 

^^What, have you never read in the New 
Testament that Jesus said to his disciples, ' I 
will make you fishers of men ? ' " 

^' Yes,'^ said he, ^' I have, but I never knew 
the meaning of it.'' 

- ''The Son of God pitied man, and provided 
a net, called the Gospel. With this net he 
sent his apostles into all the world, that by 
means of it they might drag or compel men to 
come out of the kingdom of darkness into that 
of God's dear Son. Their preaching the gos- 
pel might be compared to throwing a net into 
the sea, and every sinner that believed their 
message, resembled a fish caught in their 
kindly net. Many who heard them were as 
reluctant to receive the truths they delivered, 
as the fishes in the river are to take your bait. 
You fish for the destruction of animals, but 
they preached for the salvation of men." 

''How long," said he, "did these apostles 
continue to fish for men ? " 

" To the day of their death," said I ; " and 



1 



ANGLER. 41 

they left their net, the Bible, behind them in 
the Avorld, which has continued to catch men 
for more that seventeen hundred years, and 
shall not be withdrawn from the world till the 
Son of God shall return to receive all who 
have been caught, into his everlasting habita- 
tion ; and, my friend, allow me to assure you 
that you will never be happy till this blessed 
net gets hold of you. Pray," said I, ^^have 
you an apostolic net 7 " 

'^ Yes, I have," said he. 

^' Well, go home and examine it; the instant 
you truly understand it, you will find your 
heart caught by it." 

I hope that on going home he looked into the 
Scriptures with new eyes. 
4:^ 



III. 

Walk in the Main Street. — Conversation with two Gen- 
tlemen. — A Fish-woman. — A Goldsmith. — A Physi- 
cian. — A Jew. — A Fop. — A Carman. 

Walking along the main street this morn- 
ing, I observed two gentlemen standing, as if 
amazed at something that had happened. 

^^Pray, gentlemen," said I, ^^what is the 
matter?'' 

On which one of them informed me that a 
genteel dressed man had hastily come up to 
him, and, tipping him on the shoulder, had 
said, 

^^ Pray, sir, did you ever thank God for the 
use of your reason 7 '' 

^^No," said I, ^'not particularly." 

^^Well," said he, ^'do it now, for I have 
lost mine." On which he walked off with 
great speed. 

^'Gentlemen," said I, '^ you will not forget 
this circumstance soon ; it ought to be a 



FISH-WOMAN. 43 

memento to you during the whole of life. 
Thankfulness for a blessing, and to use it to 
the glory of the giver, is the best way to 
secure the possession of it.'' 



I was very much shocked, during the time 
of this conversation, by observing a FISH- 
WOMAN skinning a live eel, with the greatest 
unconcern. On inquiring how she could be 
so cruel as to perform that operation while the 
creature was alive, 

^'Poh,'' said she, ^^they are quite accus- 
tomed to it, for I do it every day.'' 

'- But not to the same eels," said I. 

'^No, that is true." 

^* Think, then, how you should like to have 
your skin torn from your flesh whilst you were 
alive. Could that poor, helpless animal speak, 
it would call out, 0, murderer ! 0, the pain, 
torment and misery I am suffering ! Rather 
cut off my head, and kill me outright ! I am 
willing to be a dinner for any man, but 0, do 
not torment me ! " 

The woman threw down the eeL and asked 



44 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

me who I was ; for she never heard a man 
express pity for an eel, before. ^^I fear," 
added she, ''you have prevented my skinning 
any more." 

A man came to the stall, and asked for a 
skinned eel. 

'' There is one half skinned ; you can finish 
the work yourself" 

He paid for it, and took it away. 



^•So you are a goldsmith?" said I, to a 
man who was listening to our conversation. 

''Yes, I am," replied he. 

I then inquired, 

"Is all your gold equally good, when it is 
brought to you ?" 

"No," said he, "there is some of it very 
bad indeed." 

" Pray, what do you do with the bad 
gold?" 

"We refine it in the furnace." 

"Well, friend, remember this," said I; 
"your work, as a refiner, is emblematical of 
what God is doing every day to his people ; he 



GOLDSMITH. 45 

is purifying them in the furnace of affliction, 
taking away all their dross and tia^ their cor- 
ruptions and their sinful inclinations. Gold- 
smith, can you change copper into gold 7 ' ' 

'^ No, I cannot. I should be a rich man if 
I could." 

" Well, think of the power of Him who can 
make a wicked man a holy man, a careless 
man thoughtful, an infidel a believer. This is 
a work no less wonderful than changing copper 
into gold, or tin into silver. Examine, also, 
whether, in the siocht of a heart-searchino- 
God, you may be called a copper or a gold 
man.'' 

While we were conversing, a man came 
bounce against me, with such violence that 
he almost knocked me down, and ran on, 
without taking the least notice of what he 
had done. 

^•0,'' said a person present, '-I fancy that 
is a pickpocket, who has broke out of prison.*' 

'•What a mercy," said I, '4t would be if 
every man was as eager to run from the prison 
of sin, to obtain the marvellous liberty of the 
sons of God ! Christ came on purpose to open 



46 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

prison doors, and to set prisoners free from 
their confinement ; but multitudes are so enam- 
ored with the chains with which they are bound, 
that they will not accept of deliverance. But 
remember, my friends, ^ if the Son make you 
free, ye shall be free indeed.' '' 



^' There," says the goldsmith, '^ there goes a 
PHYSICIAN ; you had better give him a word 
of advice, for he requires it as much as any 
one." 

I went, and asked him if he had ever cured 
any of his patients. 

^^Yes," said he, ^Hhousands." 

^'Now, answer this inquiry, have you cured 
yourself 7" 

''Myself! I have no disease, and never 
had ! " 

" Is your soul, sir, in good health ? " 

"It has no pulse, sir; how shall I know 
whether it is whole or sick ? " 

"Very easily; think whether it be a holy 
soul, or not; w^hether it is seeking after heav- 
enly wisdom, as for hidden treasures ; whether 



PHYSICIAN. 47 

it has an appetite for the bread of life, &c. 
Do you ever pray to God, sir ? '' 

^ ' No, I do not ; I am kept so busy, night 
and day, that I have no time for it." 
'^ Have you leisure to eat, sir ? " 
^•0, yes, or else I should starve." 
''If your soul was in health, or holy, you 
would not find it more difiicult to obtain leisure 
to pray than to find time to eat. Do you ever 
go to a place of worship ? " 

"0, no ; you know physicians are excused 
from that service." 
"By whom?" 

"By the common consent of mankind." 
"But does God dispense with their attend- 
ance on his ordinances ? " 

" As for that, I know nothing about it." 
"Poor physician! — to you the health of 
others, or perhaps rather the gold of others, is 
more valuable than the life and health of your 
own soul. Think what a man shall be profited, 
though he gain the whole world, if he lose his 
own soul." 

"0, sir," said he, "it is not the money, it 



48 



WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



is the life and health of the patient that engages 
me so constantly." 

^' Do not tell me so ; for if no reward was 
given for your attendance, you would find many 
excuses for attending your patients less fre- 
quently." 

I requested him to take notice of some asses 
that were passing. 

*^Do not you observe," said I, *' stupidity 
in their countenances ? God compares man in 
his natural estate to that stupid animal. See, 
these asses neither know the way they ought 
to go, nor are they willing to go as the man 
directs them. In this they are a striking rep- 
resentation of vain man, who would be wise, 
though born like the wild ass' colt. Now, sir, 
I can inform you of a physician who can cure 
hardness of heart, sinful propensities, &c., to 
whom you would do well to apply for a cure of 
all those inveterate diseases ; and, remember, he 
demands no remuneration for the cures he per- 
forms. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of 
God, and Prince of life." Here ended our 
conversation. 



JEW. 49 

There was a Jew walking at a little distance, 
dressed in a black cloak. 

*^I am happy to see you, this morning/' said 
I to him. 

^' Why so?" said he. 

*' Because you are a descendant of faithful 
Abraham, who was the friend of God ; and the 
book which I value above rubies, was written 
by men of your nation. My Saviour also was 
your countryman, according to the flesh ; and 
it was your countrymen who brought to us 
Gentiles the glad tidings that there is salva- 
tion through Jesus unto the whole world. 
These are some of the reasons why I am glad 
to see you."' 

He thanked me, and was walking off; but I 
walked along with him, and inquired if he had 
a copy of the Scriptures. He said he had not ; 
on which I took out a Bible, and presented it 
for his acceptance ; he received it gratefully. 
I informed him that the book I had given him 
contained the New as well as the Old Testa- 
ment ; the former of which I begged him to 
read without prejudice, and to compare its con- 
tents mth the predictions in the Old Testa- 
5 



50 



WALKS OF 



SFULNESS. 



mentj respecting Messiah and his kingdom. If 
he did so, I expressed a hope that God would 
thereby grant him repentance, to the acknowl- 
edgment of the truth. 

'' Repentance I " said he ; ^^ of what ? " 
^^ Of your having denied that Jesus is the 
Messiah, and of all your ungodly deeds that 
you have committed. Read particularly the 
Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the 
epistle of Paul to the Hebrews, who himself 
was a converted Jew. If you are ignorant of 
your own Scriptures, your unbelief must arise 
from listening to the vain traditions of your 
uninspired Rabbies. It is of infinite impor- 
tance to you to know whether God has or has 
not yet sent his Son into the world ; your eter- 
nal condition depends upon your rejecting or 
crediting that important fact ; for, if you believe 
not that Jesus is the Christ, you shall die in 
your sins, and the wrath of God, in conse- 



quence 
ever." 



of them, shall abide on 



you 



for- 



He seemed to listen to all I said ; but would 
not continue the conversation. 



FOP — CARMAN. 51 

A FOP came strutting along at this very 
moment ; as he passed, I whispered into his 
ear, — 

*' We must all appear before the judgment- 
seat of Christ." 

He looked behind with such astonishment, 
that two men inquired what I had said to him ; 
upon which I repeated the scripture declara- 
tion, that we must all appear before the judg- 
ment-seat of Christ, assuring them that the 
Lord was at hand, that he was ready to judge 
the quick and the dead. After civilly thanking 
me for my remark, they walked off together. 



A CARMAN, cruelly lashing an old horse, 
attracted the attention of many, some of whom 
declared that the man was a greater brute than 
the horse. With all his lashing, the creature 
could not move any faster, for his load was too 
heavy for him. I asked the man, 

^' How long have you had that horse ? " 

He said, ^' Fifteen years." 

''How cruel," I said, ''to lash an old and 
faithful servant, especially when he is still 



52 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

exerting his utmost strength to serve you ! 
God is not so hard a master to you, though, 
probably, you do not serve him with all your 
might, as the horse does you." 

To this he rephed, "that he served God as 
well as he could." 

^* no, my friend, there is not a man on 
earth does that." 

Referring the matter in dispute to the by- 
standers, I said, 

"Friends, do any of us think as much of 
God as we might ? Do we converse about the 
things of God as often as we might ? Do we 
read his word as often as we might 7 " 

" No, no ! " called out almost every person 
around. 

"And yet God," said I, "gives us food^ 
raiment, health, and many other blessings, 
which should teach us to cultivate merciful 
dispositions toward man and beast." 

"That is all good gospel the man is telling 
you, friends," said an old woman. 

"Yes," said I; "and, if you will stop a 
minute, I shall tell you still better gospel." 

Upon hearing this, the ring of people that 



CARMAN. 53 

surrounded me, drew in a little closer, when I 
told them that '^ God had so loved the world 
that he gave his only begotten Son, that who- 
soever believeth on him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life ; that there is, therefore, 
now no condemnation to them that believe in 
Jesus," &c. 

On saying this, a constable came up and 
(desired the people to disperse, for they so 
crowded the pavement that the passengers 
could not get along. So every one went 
about his own business ; — and I retired 
fatigued to my own lodgings, but pleased 
with the opportunities of doing good during 
my walk. 

5* 



IV. 

Arriyal of an Express. — The Locksmith. — Self-reflec- 
tions. — An old Soldier. 

As I passed the post-oiEce this morning, an 
EXPRESS arrived with news from abroad. Hun- 
dreds collected in a trice, to obtain the earliest 
information respecting the contents of the ex- 
press. While they were all anxiously waiting, 
I called aloud that I had good news to tell, in 
which they were all deeply interested. One 
demanded to know from whence I had the 
news. I replied, from heaven ! On which 
many retired, thereby intimating that they 
had no desire to hear anything from that 
quarter. 

However, I called out, with a loud voice, that 
God had proclaimed '^ peace with men upon the 
earth," notwithstanding their rebellious con- 
duct towards him ; and that he had sent his 
own Son to die for their offenceSj on purpose 



LOCKSMITH. 55 

to reconcile them to his friendship and govern- 
ment. 

'^ Indeed, my friends," said I, '* he laid upon 
him our guilt, and by his stripes alone we can 
be healed. Be ye therefore in friendship with 
God ; throw down the weapons of your rebel- 
lion, and make his will your rule for the future ; 
then you shall be happy in life, at death, dur- 
ing all the solemnities of the judgment-day, 
yea, forever and ever ! Now, gentlemen, I 
have done ; for I do not wish to prevent your 
hearing the news brought by the messenger ; 
but I judged these few hints might be of use 
to you through life." 

The whole company behaved very civilly, 
which encouraged me to proceed in my exer- 
tions to do good to the souls of men. 



Observing a man gazing at some prints in a 
window, — 

j ^^Tell me, friend," said I, '^your occupa- 

' tion." 

*' I make locks and hinges," said he. 



56 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

^^ Locks ! — what is the reason why there is 
such a demand for locks ? " 

^^ Because there are so many thieves, to be 
sure." 

'^Do you think locks will be necessary in 
heaven?" 

*' No, I dare say not, for there are none but 
honest, upright people there." 

'^ Why are there so many bad people here?" 
/^I know not why, but I am certain there 
are, for our prisons are all full. Adam surely 
was not created with a thieving disposition ; 
but Satan prevailed on him to sin against God, 
and that robbed him of his purity and perfec- 
tion ; then men became hateful and haters of 
each other ; and wherever there is no love to 
God or man in the heart, people will soon 
think there is little harm in defrauding each 
other. Consequently," said the smith, ^Hill 
men become better, we must continue making 
locks, and good ones, too, for the thieves are 
so expert that they find means to pick almost 
any lock, and though they be hanging them 
every month, there is always a new generation 
of them comes forward." 



LOCKSMITH. 57 

*^ Yes, my friend, and such generations will 
continue to spring up until the knowledge of 
the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters 
cover the sea." 

^'But what shall poor lock-makers do in 
those days 7" 

^' They must do as buckle-makers did when 
buckles went out of fashion." 

^'Why, what did they do 7" 

'^ They learned other trades. You men- 
tioned, friend, did you not, that you also make 
hinges?" 

^' Yes. many a hinge I have made ; more, I 
dare say, than ever I shall make again." 

^^ So you do not expect to live as long in the 
world as you have done 7 " 

^^ No, indeed, I do not, for you will observe 
I am growing an old man." 

'^ Where do you expect to be, after you are 
gone from this life 7 " 

" My Maker knows, but I do not." 

'^ Are you anxious about what shall be the 
state of your soul after death 7 " 

" Sometimes I am a good deal so." 

'^ And what relieves you of your anxiety 7 " 



lldj 



68 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

*^ Nothing ; I just forget the matter by other 
things coming into my mind.'' 

^' But do you think this is wise conduct 7 '' 

^' Perhaps not ; but what can I do ? " 

''Would to God that you knew you could 
do nothing for your salvation, and believed 
that God had such compassion on helpless 
men, that he sent his Son both to do and to 
die for them." 

''0, sir," said he, ''how shall I become 
acquainted with these things, for I am far 
from being a happy man, though, I confess to 
you, I spend a great part of my time in the 
tap-room?" 

" Have you a Bible, and can you read ? " 

"Yes, both, sir." 

"Let it be your great concern to become 
acquainted with your Bible ; it will fully in- 
form you of all these things ; and when you 
see a door upon hinges, ask yourself, is that 
door a representation of me, moving backward 
and forward, but making no progress ? Do I 
make progress in the knowledge, in the love 
and service of Jesus Christ ? " 



REFLECTIONS. 59 

On leaving the locksmith, I felt a little fear 
and shame, and indisposition to proceed in the 
good work ; but the following meditations re- 
lieved me : — 

The soul of man is to exist forever in happi- 
ness or misery. 

Thousands of these people who are passing 
along are ignorant of the way of peace. 

If I am instrumental in bringing any of 
them to a knowledge of the Saviour, they will 
bless God forever that I conversed with them 
in the street. 

God sees me. 

He approves my work. 

His grace is all-sufficient. 

I shall soon have done with this world. 

All who are now walking about will soon 
form part of the nations under ground. 

Some friends whom I esteem will perhaps 
laugh at me as an eccentric character, as one 
who transgresses the bounds of order and de- 
corum. But, I thought, were those houses on 
the opposite side of the street on fire, though a 
gentleman cleaned not his feet on the scraper, 
though he should jump in at a window, rush 



60 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

into a roonij and drag out the most delicate 
ladies even by the hair of their heads, he would 
not be condemned for rudeness, seeing he did it 
to save their lives ; neither should my conduct 
be condemned, since I do it to save souls. 



I had no sooner made these reflections, than 
I marched boldly up to an old soldier, who 
was lounging about. I observed to him that 
his dress showed me that he had been in the 
army, and I supposed he had seen pretty severe 
service. 

^^ Yes," said he, ^^I was actively engaged in 
the war of seventy-six." 

Then he showed me the scars in different 
parts of his body, and one or two wounds from 
musket shots. On seeing these, I said, 

^' Many of your companions must have fallen 
around you." 

^^ Yes, a great many." 

^^Were they ready, think you, to appear 
before God?" 

^'0, poor fellows ! many of them had not a 



OLD SOLDIER. 61 

moment to cr j for mercy, after they had re- 
ceived the mortal wound/'' 

'^ Do you think it was wise to put oflf crying 
for mercy, till they had received their mortal 
wound? '^ 

'•The event shows," said he, 'Hhey had 
better have begun sooner." 

'' Did this lead you to cry for mercy, after 
the engagement, lest you should be carried off 
the next battle?" 

''It did not," said he, "for we were a set 
of thoughtless fellows. We were so familiar 
with death that we thought nothing of it ; and 
had we thought much on the matter, we should 
all have become cowards together." 

'•' Do you think that a man who has the fear 
and love of God in his heart, and conMes in 
God for every blessing, will thereby become a 
coward?" 

"No," said he, "I cannot say so; for I 
recollect a soldier in our regiment, who was 
constantly praying, singing hymns, and read- 
ing the Bible ; — that fellow, sir, was one of 
the bravest, as well as soberest, men in the 
army ; he would volunteer to enter a breach 
6 



62 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

as soon as any man ; indeed, he was raised to 
the rank of sergeant, by the general, for a 
brave exploit he had performed in the Nether- 
lands ; — he was the very first man that scaled 
the walls of a fortified town ; and you know 
that is not an easy business, when there are 
enemies on the top, ready to knock you 
down." 

'^ Providence has been very kind in preserv- 
ing you amidst so many dangers ; has his good- 
ness led you to consider your ways, and to turn 
to him for mercy ? " 

^^ I am not so good yet as I should be." 
'^ Let me tell you, my friend, that if you 
are not a believer in the Son of God, who came 
to take away sin (which I perceive you are 
not), the whole guilt of your life still remains 
charged against you in the records of the court 
of heaven ; and you must soon appear before 
God to answer for it. Though you have been 
in deaths often, and yet escaped, the time is 
coming when you must fall before the stroke ; 
wherefore, I warn you, as a friend to your eter- 
nal interests, to prepare to meet your God. 
Look to the Lamb of God, as he is represented 



CANDLE AND SNUFFERS. 63 

in the Scriptures, for he alone can take away 
your guilt." 

The soldier seemed to take my counsel in 
good part, and I retired to my lodgings, as 
the day \Yas far spent, and the shadows of the 
evening appeared. 



Y. 

Conversation about a Candle and Snuffers. — An Open 
Door. — TValk in London Lnproved. — The Hammer- 
maker. — A ;Miner. — Show of Wild Beasts. 

While reading in my parlor, very early this 
morning, a young man called, who I trust is 
acquainted with divine things. We made the 
candle on my table the subject of conversation. 
We considered it a strikinoj imao;e of a Chris- 
tian shinino; as a lio^ht in the world. 

''But, without applying the snuffers," said 
I, 'Hhe candle could not continue long to burn 
bright ; nor can the snuffers be of any service. 



WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



unless ill the hand of one who can apply them 
to the proper purpose." 

Therefore we considered the candle to repre- 
sent the Christian ; the snuff in the candle to 
resemble his dross, or corruptions ; the snuffers 
to be the providences, which, in the hand of 
God, purify the Christian, and render his tem- 
per and conduct in life far more luminous 
before men. This interpretation afforded mat- 
ter for a long conversation ; after which, day- 
light appearing, the young man put an extin- 
guisher on our candle. 

^'Now," said I, ^^you have performed a 
very significant action. Death is an extin- 
guisher which God puts on the life of man ; 
then his light goes out, and shines no more 
here ; but, blessed be God, that in a superior 
world he causes his people to shine as stars 
forever and ever." 

When going out, a servant opened the door 
for us, on which I remarked to my compan- 
ion, — 

^' What a happy sight AN open door would 
be to the poor prisoners in Newgate ! How 



AN OPEN DOOR. 65 

grateful, then, ought we to be, that Ave can go 
out and come in at pleasure ! '' 

My young friend then assured me he always 
walked with reluctance along the streets of 
London; — '^for,'' said he, '^tlie bustle and 
noise have a tendency to dissipate my mind." 

To which I replied, ^'That many things we 
saw might remind us of important matters. 
For example, the river might remind us of the 
river of life that enriches and enlivens the city 
or church of God. 

^^ These streets might lead our meditations 
to the streets of the New Jerusalem. 

^* These dials upon the steeples might re- 
mind us of the shortness of time. 

^' The bread in the baker's shop, of the 
bread of life. 

^^ The sun that shines, of the Sun of right- 
eousness. 

^- The multitudes we meet, of the millions 
round the throne. 

'•The immense variety of countenances, of 
the infinite wisdom of the Creator. 

''The lanes, the narrow way that leadeth 
unto life, &c. 

6=^ 



66 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

*^ Thus J like the bee, we might extract honey 
from every flower, and find that things which 
poison others, profit us.'' 

My young friend left me, and I began to 
look about for work. 



I 



Observing a man who did not seem to be 
much in haste, I walked up to him ; and, after 
a little introductory discourse, I learned that 
his chief employment was to make large ham- 
mers. He told me he could make hammers 
that would break a rock of flint at a very few 
strokes. I asked him if he thought they could 
break a rocky, hard heart in pieces, without 
killing the man. He smiled at my question, 
and inquired if ever I had heard of such ham- 
mers. 

'' Yes," said I; ^' the hammer of God's word 
has broken many a rocky heart. Many who 
thought they had good hearts, when broken by 
this hammer, trembled to look at them." 

Upon saying so, I asked him if he had ever 
been uneasy about his heart. He answered 
that he never had occasion to be uneasy on 



MINER. 67 

that subject, for his heart was as honest as any 
man's. 

^' 0, my friendj your lips betray your char- 
acter. I perceive you have never had a stroke 
from God's hammer. If you die in that state, 
the stroke of death will be a terrible stroke to 
you ; and remember, that possibly God may be, 
at this very moment, lifting up his hand to lay 
it on." 

The man appeared evidently under some 
alarm, for he asked me what he could do to 
obtain deliverance. After informino: him of 
God's amazing love to our world, which he has 
conspicuously manifested in the gift of his Son, 
I assured him that God commanded him to 
believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins. 
After a little more conversation he walked off. 



A MINER, or one who digs copper ore from 
the bowels of the earth, was the next person 
whom Providence put in my way. I asked how 
lonor he had been dio^o-ino: in the mines. He 
gaid, ^'Upwards of twenty years." 

I then asked him if he had got rich. 



68 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

^' No," said he ; ^' do you imagine I get all 
to myself that I dig ? Indeed, I should soon 
be a rich man, if that were the case. I am 
paid by the week, sir.'' 

I told him that I was acquainted with a 
mine, containing immense riches, which was 
free to all, and all they dig is their own. 

'' That is the mine for me," said he ; '' tell 
me where it is, and I will strike work with my 
present employers to-morrow." 

I told him that the mine I referred to was 
the Gospel, or word of God, which contained a 
pearl of inestimable value for every one who 
dug, even inexhaustible treasures of wisdom 
and knowledge, and every needful blessing. 

^' Poll ! " said he, "I have heard of that a 
thousand times." 

^^ But have you ever searched it for hidden 
treasures ? " 

'• I have so much digging of copper for my 
daily bread, that I have little leisure to dig at 
a book." 

*' Ah ! friend, you are not wise ; for did you 
know the contents of that divine book, you 
would prefer it to thousands of gold and silver. 



WILD BEASTS. 69 

It reveals a precious Saviour, and through him 
a precious redemption, and in him many great 
and precious promises. It enriches the soul 
of every discerning and believing reader. I do 
not desire you to leave your mine ; the employ- 
ment is lawful ; but cleave also to your Bible ; 
its truths will support your sinking spirits, and 
make you leap for joy and gladness of heart, 
even in this miserable world. It will make 
you happy at home, in the mine, and wherever 
you are." 

The man thanked me, and left me in 
silence. I prayed that God might bless the 
conversation to his soul. 



As the clouds began to shower down some 
rain, I stepped in where wild beasts were 
kept. I asked one of the keepers if he could 
tame ferocious animals. 

^' Sir," said he, ^' we can tame the wildest 
beast in the world." 

I told him that an acquaintance of mine had 
got a wild, wicked, swearing, lying tongue. 
'^ Pray," said I, '' can you tame tongues ? " 



70 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

" No," said he ; '^ do not you recollect what 
the Scripture says, that no man can tame 
the tongue of another man? and it is very 
true." 

I asked if he ever heard of one who could 
tame the tongue, by changing the heart. 

^^No, I never did." 

" Do not you think God can do it ? " 

^' Yes, sure, for he is almighty." 

" Well said, for so he is." 

The keeper then pointing to a man at a little 
distance, said, 

'^ There stands a poor man who is mourning 
much because he has lost his watch this morn- 
ing. I wdsh you w^ould give him some comfort, 
for I fear it will injure his health." 

Stepping up to him, I inquired if he had 
ever mourned as sincerely for the loss of his 
soul. 

'^ That matter has never given me much 
uneasiness ; but the loss of my watch is a very 
serious circumstance tome, for," said he, "I 
must be at work every morning precisely at six 
o'clock ; now, without a watch, tell me how I 
can manage that." 



WILD BEASTS. 71 

*' Certainly a watch is of considerable impor- 
tance to any man, especially to one so circum- 
stanced as you are ; but surely, for the soul to 
be shut out from happiness, and shut up in hell 
forever, is infinitely more momentous to you 
than all other concerns. Indeed, the salvation 
of the soul ought to be the first and great con- 
cern of life. The Son of God considered it of 
such importance that he came into the world 
on purpose to save souls ; indeed, he gave his 
own soul a ransom for the souls of men ; yet 
many treat his sufierings and death with such 
contempt, that they are never moved with 
indignation against the sins of the soul, 
though these ruin its happiness, and though 
sin was the cause of the Saviour's suffer- 
mgs.'' 

, I then proposed to the company who were 
viewing the wild beasts, that we should make 
contribution to purchase another watch for the 
poor man. To this they all consented, and 
upwards of fourteen dollars were collected, 
with which two of us went and purchased a 
good second-hand watch ; then returning, in 
the presence of all the company, we gave it to 



72 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

the man. His mourning by this means was 
turned into rejoicing. He expressed great 
thankfulness to the company for their unex- 
pected kindness and liberality, after which he 
retired, whistling and singing as he went. 
The company then declared that they had 
derived more satisfaction and pleasure from 
the incident of the man and his watch, than 
from seeing all the wild beasts. 

''Thus," said I, '' you experience the advan- 
tages of doing good. Let us all, therefore, re- 
member and imitate the benign character and 
conduct of Jesus, who went about continually 
doing good ; and who commands his people to 
do good unto all." 

I then requested the company to take an- 
other view of the wild beasts, and I would 
endeavor to make some useful remarks as we 
went on. 

''With all my heart," said most of the 
company. Accordingly, we proceeded. The 
following were the principal remarks that 
occurred : — 

" This house, in some degree, resembles 
Noah's ark," said I. 



WILD BEASTS. 73 

'^ Only it is not afloat," added a lady; " and 
do you think that in the ark there were as 
secure dens for confining the wild beasts, as 
these are?" 

*'No," said I, ^^I rather suppose that the 
fierceness of the animals in the ark was sus- 
pended by the God of providence ; but that, 
after their dismission, their ferocity returned ; 
and, madam, there are many in the world, pos- 
sessing much of the nature of devils, who are 
restrained by the influence of the moral prin- 
ciples which are difi'used throughout the world, 
or by regard to reputation, or by the fear of 
human and divine punishment, who, if these 
restraints were taken ofi*, would become notori- 
ous murderers and plunderers. Witness the 
lives of a Nero, a Domitian, a Caligula, and 
thousands of others, in modern as well as in 
ancient times. Indeed, every man by nature 
possesses every kind of wickedness in em- 
bryo." 

'' Sir," said several of the company, *4f you 
go on as you have begun, you will make us 
out to be a world of wild beasts, and we shall 
T 



74 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

be afraid to trust ourselves amongst each 
other." 

I desired them only to step into some pris- 
ons, and they would find hundreds of their own 
species as completely secured with bolts and 
bars as these lions and tigers ; and there is 
occasion for it ; for, were these unhappy crea- 
tures all liberated to-night, they would instantly 
begin to plunder and murder their fellow-crea- 
tures. These men were no worse than others 
by nature, but perhaps they had no good exam- 
ple, no education, or perhaps they have broken 
through all restraints, and resolved to act ac- 
cording to the natural bent of their hearts. As 
all are naturally fond of sugar when they taste 
it, so is every man naturally ripe for the com- 
mission of any evil when it is presented to him. 
Hence, mankind in general may be compared 
to so many chained lions and tigers. 

'' It is happy for us that these beasts are con- 
fined. What incalculable mischief might they do 
if they were let loose ! But, could you change 
their nature into that of the sheep, or even the 
dog, or the horse, how much more serviceable 
would they be ! Instead of being confined, they 



WILD BEASTS. 75 

might then be all employed in some way or 
other for the benefit of the community. It is 
just so with human nature in its present de- 
praved state. We ought to be thankful for 
human laws, and even for prisons to secure 
wicked men, and to prevent them from doing 
mischief; but were their hearts changed, in- 
stead of being thus confined, they might be all 
employed for the good of their fellow-creatures. 
This change God is pleased to produce by the 
Gospel, wherever it is clearly understood and 
cordially received. How, then, ought we to 
pray that it may be known, and its divine 
influence felt, by the whole human race ! " 



VI. 

A River. — The Pensioner. — Various Characters in the 
Streets. — Man Enclosing a Garden. 

Standing by the side of a river, this morn- 
ing, I could not help admiring the immense 
body of water that was moving past me, and 
asked myself, ^' how long this river had con- 
tinued to run? At least," thought I, '^from 
the days of Noah, which is upwards of three 
thousand years ago. How vain would it be 
for any one to wait in hope that all the water 
should run past, and consequently be able to 
walk across !" Then I thought of the river of 
life, that proceeds from the throne of God and 
the Lamb, the streams whereof comfort the city 
of God in every age. 

While thus musing, a man asked me if I 
wished to cross the river. I told him I had no 
desire to cross this river, but that I should be 



PENSIONER. 77 

glad to cross the river Jordan, in order to reach 
Immanuel's happy shore. 

^' What do you mean ? " said the boatman. 

'^ Mean? why. in plain English, I mean that 
I should like better to be in heaven than in 
London ; but I know I must first cross the Jor- 
dan of death before I can reach it ; and I dare 
not cross that river without a passport from the 
Kin or of kinojs.'' 

The boatman went off, wishing me a happy 
voyage ; for, he said, he had no inclination 
yet to sail along with me. 



Goinor alonor one of the wharves, I found a 
man who seemed unemployed. I inquired how 
he could support himself without working. 

'' I am a pensioner." 

•'So am I5" said I; '-'let us, therefore, sit 
down and have a little conversation." 

Accordingly, when we had taken our seat, I 
inquired whose pensioner he was. He said his 
majesty's, in Greenwich Hospital. 

^' You had behaved well, surely, in his maj- 



78 



WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



esty's service, before you could obtain such a 
pension?" 

^' Yes/' said he, ^' I served his majesty more 
than thirty years, and was in many hard-fought 
actions, you may believe. But pray, if I may 
ask, whose pensioner are you ? " 

I replied that I was one of God's pensioners, 
and had been so from my birth, and, though I 
have often rebelled against him, still he does 
not strike me off the pension list. 

''How much," said he, in a jocular tone of 
voice, " does he give you ? " 

'' He gives me a sufficiency of food and rai- 
ment from day to day ; he gives me air to 
breathe, a house to dwell in, a bed to sleep on, 
and many other blessings." 

^'I have all these things, too," said the old 
sailor, ''but I never considered myself obliged 
to God for them." 

''What ! " said I, "did not God create all 
things, and does he not regulate all things, and 
is it not by his providence that any comforts 
fall to our share ? My friend, believe me, it 
was God who disposed the founders of Green- 
wich Hospital to commence such an institution; 



PENSIONER. 79 

it was lie who caused it to succeed ; he knew 
from the beginning all who should partake of 
its bounty ; and he inclined the hearts of the 
governors to grant your petition, when you 
applied for the pension ; and the institution 
itself would soon be annihilated, if God only 
willed it. Therefore, you may see that God 
provides for you as well as for me." 

This appeared strange doctrine to the old 
pensioner, but he could not deny the truth of 
it. After a little pause, he broke silence by 
saying, 

^'It is very true, we are all dependent on 
the Almighty ; he has a large family of us to 
provide for. Indeed, I have often wondered, 
when I saw a fleet taking in stores, whence 
such a vast quantity of diflerent articles came 
from." 

'^ Yes," said I, ^^ and your wonder would be 
increased, if you saw, piled up in one heap, all 
the provisions consumed by man and beast in 
London only in one day. Perhaps it would 
make a mass not much smaller than St. Paul's 
Cathedral. But could you see all the provis- 
ions consumed by the whole world in a day, 



80 



WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



heaped up together, perhaps they would make 
a body not smaller than the Isle of Wight ; and 
all these things were created by God for the 
support of man. What a blessing also is it 
that all things absolutely necessary for the 
support of human life are created near the 
spot where each man dwells ! What a misery 
would it be if nothing grew for the support of 
human life except in the wilds of Africa, or in 
the plains of India ! The population of the 
world would thereby be impeded, and the 
means of support to distant climes often inter- 
rupted. But there is a happy and general 
distribution of the bounties of Jehovah, for the 
accommodation and comfort of man. 

^' Yet, alas ! men, who are the objects of his 
goodness, receive his blessings without grati- 
tude, or even acknowledging the kindness of 
him that feeds them. But the patience of God 
with ungodly men will not continue always ; 
for, like a bear bereaved of her whelps, he will 
come out of his place to take signal vengeance 
on his enemies. Wherefore be you, my friend, 
reconciled unto God ; look to him for mercy 
through his Son, for he waits to be gracious. 



VARIOUS CHARACTERS. 81 

Only acknowledge your past iniquity ; for he 
asks no more atonement for sin than what he 
has already received from his beloved Son, in 
the room of sinners. Look for forgiveness 
from God as a favor done you only for the 
sake of his Son, Jesus Christ." 



Leaving the side of the river, I went into 
one of the streets which was crowded with pas- 
sengers. I employed myself a little in observ- 
ing the different countenances of those who 
passed. 

One appeared in deep thought, as if con- 
certing some important scheme for acquiring 
wealth. 

Another indicated great uneasiness, as if 
he knew not where he should obtain his next 
meal. 

A third came whisthng and singing, as if 
he had just learned that a fortune had been 
left him. 

A fourth was void of expression altogether, 
as if a total stranger to grief or joy, love, 
anger, or any other passion. 



82 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

The next seemed so swelled with pride and 
vanity, that I could not behold him without 
pity. 

Another came sneaking along, attentively 
viewing every door, window, cart, carriage, 
&c., as if only in search of plunder. 

And the last I shall mention, appeared to be 
taking a last farewell of his native city, ready 
to embark for some foreign land. 



Leaving London, and seeing a man putting 
up a FENCE ROUND A GARDEN, I askcd him if 
that was his ordinary employment. 

'^ Yes," said he, ^'I am always securing the 
gardens of others." 

^'But, friend," said I, ^^how do you keep 
the garden of your own heart ? Do you per- 
mit thieves to break in there ? Do you allow 
briars and thorns and poisonous plants to grow 
there?" 

'^ Are you a Methodist," said he, ^^or what 
are you?" 

^^ What is a Methodist?" 



WAN EXCLOSIXG A GARDEN. 83 

^^ Why/' said he, ^-a Methodist is a man 
that makes too much ado about religion." 

^' What is religion? Tell me that, and then 
we shall see whether we can make too much 
ado about it." 

The man, after a little pause, confessed he 
was not very well versed in these matters, 
and begged I would answer the question 
myself 

I told him that *' religion consisted in believ- 
ino:, fearinc^. lovino; and servinor God ; the God 
that made us, who supports us, and who will 
Boon judge us, and assign to us our everlasting 
state. How, then, can a man make too much 
ado about religion 7 I fear few of us are suffi- 
ciently concerned about it." 

He said he understood that religious people 
were the most unhappy creatures in the world. 

'•No doubt J when they disobey their God, 
they are very unhappy ; but when they walk 
in his fear, they enjoy the comforts of the 
Holy Ghost, w^hich make them happier than 
any irreligious man ever was, or can be, while 
he lives in rebellion against the God that made 
him. Are you happy ? " said I to the man. 



84 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

'^ How can I be, while toiling like a slave at 
this kind of w^ork every day, and I see no end 
to it?" 

^^What do you think would make you 
happy?" 

'^ Two hundred a year would make me as 
happy as a prince." 

''Do you imagine that every person is happy 
who has two hundred a year ? " 

''No, indeed, I do not; nay, I have heard 
of people, who have had their thousands at 
command, who were more miserable than 
myself." 

"How, then, are you certain that you should 
be happy if you had the income you men- 
tion?" 

" I do not know," said he ; "I only suppose 
I should." 

"Depend upon it," said I, "without the 
friendship of God through Jesus Christ, you 
cannot be happy in this world, or in the world 
to come ; wherefore, your wishes and efforts 
are vain, if you are only seeking happiness 
from things below the sun. The Son of God 
is the fountain of all felicity ; wherefore, with 



BANKER. 85 

all thy getting, get acquainted with Him, whom 
to know is eternal life. Adieu, I will not 
hinder your work any longer." 



VII. 

Conyersation with a Banker. — Visit to a School for Deaf 
and Dumb. — To an Engraver and Print-seller. — 
Walk and Conversation in BunhiU-fields. — The Grave- 
digger. 

I INQUIRED of a BANKER, upon what coun- 
tries he drew bills. He assured me they could 
furnish me with bills on most civilized coun- 
tries. I told him that Heaven was the most 
civilized country in the universe, and asked 
him if he had any bills upon that country. He 
shook his head, and said no. I told him I wag 
a kind of banker myself, and possessed an 
amazing number of promissory notes, given by 
the King of Heaven, and payable by himself; 
and that these were paid on demand in any 
8 



86 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

country under heaven, whether civilized or 
barbarous. He begged a sight of one of them, 
on which I took out the Testament, and pointed 
to John 16 : 23, where Jesus says, '' Whatso- 
ever ye shall ask my Father in my name, he 
will give it you." 

'^This whole book," said I, holding up the 
Bible, '^ is full of such promissory notes ; and, 
when men honor them with their conj&dence, 
they bring rich stores of blessings from the 
heavenly Jerusalem." 

I advised the banker, if he desired to be 
rich, to get one of these bill-books ; to keep it 
in his bosom, and then he would be inferior in 
riches to none upon earth. When the friends 
of God are about to prefer a petition to him, 
which they do regularly every morning and 
evening, at least, they carry along with them 
a few of these bills, that they may be sure to 
ask only for things which accord with his will. 
When at any time they become indisposed to 
petition their God, they look over their bill- 
book, which frequently produces a strong de- 
sire to possess more of the heavenly treasure. 
The banker asked if the King of Heaven was 



BANKER. 87 

always able and willing to answer all demands 
made upon him. 

'•Perfectly able; for his riches are inex- 
haustible, and resemble the bread with which 
Jesus fed the five thousand at one time ; the 
more they ate of it, the more it increased. The 
treasures even of the bank of England can be 
calculated, but the believer's bank contains 
countless treasures. For these reasons, my 
friend, I would advise you to become a stock- 
holder of the bank of Heaven, where neither 
moth nor rust can corrupt, nor thieves break 
through and steal." 

^^ Almost thou persuadest me to ask for a 
portion of the loan of heaven," said he. 

''Would to God, friend, that you were not 
only almost, but altogether persuaded to put up 
your request. There is a fixed period allotted 
for receiving petitions ; if you continue hesitat- 
ing and idling till the period ends, no interest 
in heaven or earth can procure a favorable re- 
ception to your petitions after that. Wherefore, 
hasten to the Lord while the day of grace con- 
tinues, for now is the accepted time." 



88 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

When I had finished my business with the 
banker, I went to a school for deaf and dumb 
CHILDREN. All was silent ; nor did one of 
them observe me come into the room. I called 
out with a loud voice, 

^' Whoever of you children come unto me, I 
will give you a guinea." 

Not one moved his head or eyes towards 
me ; not a hand was stretched out for my 
guinea. 

'' How much," said I to the teacher, '' these 
children resemble some congregations on the 
Sabbath day ! When they are entreated to 
receive the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life, 
through a crucified Saviour, all are deaf to 
the invitation, all reject the prolBFered blessings. 
Some are asleep ; others are scheming about 
worldly things ; and others imagine they are 
not of them who are addressed ; and so they 
retire as poor as when they came. 

^^How long will it be," added I to the 
teacher, ^'before a child will be able to speak 
and read tolerably well ? " 

" A long time ; perhaps three or four years. 
They continue long in the small and simple 



DEAF AND DUMB CHILDREN. 89 

words, before they advance to the larger and 
more intricate." 

''Yes/' said I, ''like many professors of 
relio;ion, who continue their whole lives tuo;- 
ging at first principles. Indeed, many of 
these are prejudiced against progress in knowl- 
edge." 

" But against what knowledge," said he, 
" are they prejudiced 7 " 

"Against religious knowledge, which con- 
sists in acquaintance with the nature, plans, 
purposes, precepts and promises of God." 

" 0, but these differ from most of my schol- 
ars," said he, " for they are anxious to acquire 
more knowledge ; but, as they have not the 
faculty of hearing, it is diflScult to gratify their 
desire. I have sometimes seen them weep, 
because they could not comprehend what was 
going forward in their presence. I wish that 
many, who are neither deaf nor dumb, were so 
disposed." 

"Alas," said I, "how many among us can 
speak fluently about trifles, but are as dumb as 
your scholars on divine subjects ! 

" Sir," added I to the teacher, "you have, 
8* 



90 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

no doubt, frequently admired the power of 
Jesus, by which in a moment he opened the 
ears of the deaf, and communicated the powers 
of speech to the dumb, and the knowledge of 
a language, of which they were previously 
as ignorant as an infant on the day of its 
birth.'' 

^'Surely," said he, '^ the power of Jesus 
was the power of God. Adam and Eve are 
memorable instances of the same efficacious 
power ; for both of them had a perfect knowl- 
edge of language, and possessed all the powers 
of speech immediately when created." 



Leaving the deaf and dumb school, I called 
upon a friend, who introduced me to a gentle- 
man who was a first-rate engraver and print- 
seller. After some conversation, I said to 
the gentleman that I hoped he neither engraved 
nor sold obscene prints. 

'• But I do both," said he, ^^ though I do not 
think it a commendable part of our business ; 
yet we are obliged to do it, or we should lose 
some of our best customers." 



PRINT-SELLER. 91 

^^ But do you seriously consider the poison 
that you are diffusing amongst our youth ? 
How many persons, whose gray hairs you are 
instrumental in brinorinor with sorrow to the 
grave, through the profligacy of their children, 
first occasioned by your lewd prints ! Indeed, 
sir, allow roe to tell you, that I view this part 
of your trade of so pernicious a tendency, as to 
think you would be acting according to truth 
if you painted upon your sign-board, immedi- 
ately under your name, maker and seller of 

NETS FOR THE DEVIL.*' 

"You view the matter in a strong light, 
indeed," said he. 

**Yes,'' said I, "and I am persuaded you 
will find at the day of judgment that God 
views it much in the same way. Suppose for 
a moment the day of judgment come, and the. 
Judge asks why you dealt in pernicious prints. 
What answer will you be able to give ? — for 
you know we must answer to him for the 
deeds done while in the body, whether good 
or evil." 

I waited for his answer ; but he paused so 
long, that I could not help saying, 



92 WALKS OP USEFULNESS. 

^^Yes, in that day every mouth shall be 
stopped. But suppose you had the boldness 
to make the same defence to your Judge that 
you made to me, namely, that had you given 
up your dealing in that article, you would 
have lost many of your best customers. Would 
not the Judge reply, ' What was the loss of a 
few pounds per annum to you, when compared 
to the loss of your own soul, and with the ruin 
of hundreds of souls, who will charge you with 
their murder forever and forever ? ' ' Depart 
from me, then, ye cursed, into everlasting pun- 
ishment.' " 

^^ Your remarks remind me," said the print- 
seller, **of an incident w^hich happened here 
several years ago. A venerable-looking old 
man stepped into the shop, and inquired if we 
sold any poison for souls. We told him no. 
But you have such poison, and you shall be 
reported to my master. So saying, he walked 
out. The shopmen and I looked at each other 
with astonishment, but none of us could con- 
jecture to what the old man alluded ; but I 
perceive now that his sentiments and yours, 
upon prints, must have been very similar." 



A GRAVE-YARD. 93 

He then stated, in his own vindication, that 
hundreds of people sold the same kind of 
obnoxious prints. 

^'The number of rogues being great,'' said 
I, ''only increases the public danger and alarm, 
and gives more employment to the hangman. 
The frequency of robbery and murder does not 
lessen its criminality in the eye of the law ; 
neither will the increase of transgressors avert 
the wrath of God. The hearts of almost all 
the inhabitants of the old world were evil, only 
evil, and that continually ; wherefore God swept 
them all off with the besom of destruction ; 
which was an awful, but righteous, display of 
his indiornation aojainst sin.'' 



On leaving the print-seller, I went into 
BUNHILL-FIELDS, Or burying-ground. 

''Here," said I, to a person standing near 
me, "is the depository of the earthly remains 
of thousands. Here lie the multitudes who 
used to crowd our streets, who were active in 
the various pursuits of life, and many of whom 
were overwhelmed with its cares. Here are 



94 



WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



numbers who filled our pulpits, and others who 
composed our congregations. Here the rich 
and poor meet together. Their bodies are all 
here, their dust is mixed ; but where are their 
souls ? Some, I trust many, are gone to the 
glorious regions of immortal bliss ; while others, 
like the devils, are reserved in chains of dark- 
ness to the judgment of the great day." 

A poor man, at a little distance, who was 
listening to my remarks, now came nearer, and 
said that most of those buried here were dis- 
senters, consequently were religious people, 
and we might charitably hope that they are 
all happy. 

'^ Friend," said I, ^^I suppose you are a 
dissenter, and expect to be buried here ? " 

^'Tes," said he. 

'^ Now tell me why you expect to be hap- 
py 7 Do you ever quarrel with your wife at 
home?" 

'^Sometimes," said he; ^'but we go to meet- 
ing as regularly every Sunday morning as the 
sun rises." 

^'And how do you spend the rest of that 
day?" 



A GRAVE-YARD. 95 

'^ We get a fe^y friends together, and spend 
a few hours in harmless conversation over a pot 
of porter ; and in summer we take a little walk 
into the country in the evening, to refresh our 
animal spirits, and fit us for the labors of the 
-week.'*' 

*'Do you call this," said I, ^'sanctifying 
the Sabbath? Is there any evidence of holi- 
ness of mind in such conduct 7 Is not this 
the constant practice of thousands of graceless, 
prayerless and profane people ? Do you think 
that going once or twice a day to meeting will 
secure heaven 7 Remember that a Christian is 
a new creature ; is separated in heart and life 
from ungodly men ; is given to prayer, reading 
the word of God, and private meditation ; is 
praying for, and pressing after, greater like- 
ness to the meek and holy Jesus. Have you 
ever been convinced that there is no salvation 
for you but through the righteousness of 
another 7 " 

'• 0," said he, ''our minister always preaches 
up that ; and though it has ofiended many, I 
assure you it has never ofiended me. I stick 
close to him yet." 



96 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

" That may be, friend ; and yet you may be 
ignorant of the righteousness of God, and be 
going about to establish a righteousness of 
your own. Many say they approve of the 
doctrine, who have never understood it, nor 
rejoiced to hear that, through the redemption 
of Jesus, there is forgiveness with God for the 
vilest sinner." 

'^ Excuse me," said the man, '^for though I 
am not much learned in these matters, yet this 
one thing I can say, with our minister, that 
whereas I was blind, now I see." 

*' What do you see ? " said I. 

He could tell me nothing he saw. 

'' Now, supposing a blind man to receive his 
sight ; and though he could not describe with 
the accuracy of an oculist the operation that 
effected his cure, yet, if he looked up to the 
sun, he would be able to speak with wonder of 
its glory ; he would have something to say of 
these clouds, trees, horses, &c. ; and, though he 
might not be able to speak so intelligibly of 
them at first, in a few months or years he 
w^ould acquire greater acquaintance with them. 
Indeed, if you met that man five years after, 



A GRAVE- YARD. 97 

and found him speaking as ignorantly about 
these things as he did the first day he said his 
eyes were opened, you would begin to suspect 
whether he had really got his eye-sight yet." 
I then asked the man how long it was since he 
thought he was a Christian. 

^' Upwards of tw^enty years," said he. 

*' Upwards of twenty years? Pray, how 
long were you in learning your trade ? " 

" More than seven years ; and I am every 
week learning more about it." 

'' Then you have made considerable progress 
in the knowledge of your business since the day 
you entered first into it ; and why so, but be- 
cause your heart was in it,— you were anxious 
to make progress ? Had you been only as anx- 
ious to increase in the knowledge and practice 
of the gospel, and listened as attentively to the 
instructions of Jesus as you did to those who 
taught you your business, you would have 
made more proficiency than you appear to have 
done, if you had really been a child of God at 
the time you say you professed to be one. 
Wherefore, give up with all trifling about your 
soul, and look for mercy and pardon to the 
9 



98 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

Son of God, or I fear you will perish forever 
in a delusion." 

The man began to J3e angry, and asked me 
if I suspected his character, and what charge I 
could bring against him. I told him I did sus- 
pect before that he was no Christian, but now 
I was more confirmed in my opinion that he 
was not. 

^'However," said I, ^'I hope God will dis- 
cover to you your error, and convince you 
that neither a little form, nor a great form of 
godliness can procure heaven, but that the 
blood of the blessed Jesus alone can." 



Walking a little forward, we came to an old 
MAN who was DIGGING A GRAVE, with as great 
unconcern as if it had only been intended for 
a cat. 

*^ Why are you digging that hole % " 

'^ What a question," said the man, ''to ask 
in a burying-ground ! What else can it be 
than a grave ? " 

*' You were so merry, that a stranger might 
almost suppose it was meant for a dog or a cat." 



GRAVE-DIGGER. 99 

"No," said he, "we bury none of them 
here ; but is not every man glad when he gets 
business 7 Digging graves is my business, and 
I am glad, to be sure, when I get one to dig ; 
and so would you be, were you a grave-digger." 

" I think, friend, it is but suitable that men 
should be serious while digging graves ; and 
not only so, but it should remind you that soon 
some man will be digging a grave for you, and 
you should think seriously where your soul will 
be then." 

"I might be thinking," said he, "forever on 
these things, if I should always think of them 
while at work." 

" And do you think you would be the worse 
for it ? It might lead you to seek happiness 
beyond the grave, for you must die and appear 
before God." 

On this, he turned his back towards me, and 
would listen to nothing more. 



VIII. 

Second Visit to Bunhill-fields. — The Grave-digger. — The 
Disconsolate Father. — The Little Boy. — Old Woman. 
— Inscriptions on Tombs. — An Ass. — The Letter- 
carrier. 

After breakfast, I went out to take my 
walk for usefulness, with increased determina- 
tion to be zealous and faithful. I immedi- 
ately repaired again to Bunhill-fields' burying- 
ground, where I found the old grave-digger 
busy at work. 

^^0," said he, ^^ friend, I am glad to see you 
here again, for I have thought more about my 
own death since last night, than in all the 
former part of my life." 

I asked him what he had thought about it. 

^' Indeed," said he, ^^ I have too much cause 
to fear the worst, for I have been a stupid, 
hardened, sinful creature ; and I fear my 
Maker will never receive such an old, gray- 
headed sinner as I. Do you think he will 1 " 



GRAVE-DIGGER. 101 

I told him ''it was indeed shockingly wicked 
to spend any part of hfe in carelessness about 
the things of God ; but still more so, to live 
in that rebellion till gray hairs announced a 
speedy departure from time to eternity. But 
since God has an infinite regard to the perfect 
obedience which his Son in our nature rendered 
unto him, he is ready even to forgive you, if 
you renounce all your evil works, and all your 
supposed good works, and look to Him alone 
for pardon, and merely on the ground of the 
mediation of Christ. He glorifies the riches 
of his grace in such cases. Indeed, Jesus 
expressly says, ' Him that cometh to me, I will 
in no wise cast out ; for I came down from 
heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will 
of Him that sent me.' God, having taken 
vengeance upon his Son for sin, proclaims a 
free and full pardon to the guilty and the 
rebellious." 

The man, upon hearing this, threw aside his 
spade, and with upHfted hands, looking to me 
from the grave, said, 

'' These words encourage me to hope in God; 
this is what I want. I am quite overpowered 
9* 



102 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

with Jehovah's goodness, with the condescen- 
sion and love of his Son.'' 

Upon saying so, he called to another old 
man who was digging an infant's grave at a 
little distance ; he beckoned to him to come 
near. When he came, he inquired what was 
the matter ; if there was anything wrong about 
the grave. He replied, 

'' This person has been telling me of a Sa- 
viour ; and, brother Tom, you need him, too, 
for you and I have been companions in iniquity 
for many a long year ; — it is time you and I 
were thinking of other matters." 

This was the first sermon I ever heard deliv- 
ered from a grave ; for little more than the 
man's head was visible while speaking, and the 
sermon came from the heart, accompanied with 
many tears. The man to whom he addressed 
himself was astonished, and hastily ran off with, 
I hope, an arrow in his heart. 



After having a little more conversation with 
the old man, I passed on to a person who was 
weeping over a grave. 



DISCONSOLATE FATHER. 103 

'^I suppose that grave contains a deceased 
friend of yours?'' 

'' Yes, my only son ; he was a great comfort 
to me, and was about succeeding me in my 
business, from which I intended in a very 
short time to retire, and enjoy my old age in 
the country ; but my dear lad was seized with 
a fever which cut him off in a few days." 

^^Do you think, sir," said I, "that he died 
in the Lord?" 

"I hope," said he, 'Hhat he died happy; 
for from a child he was remarkably obedient to 
his parents, and very attentive to business ; 
and many a pound did he give to the poor." 

"These," said I, "are all good things, and 
must have given much pleasure to you and his 
mother, and must likewise make the trial more 
painful to both. But had he any knowledge, 
love and fear of God ? " 

"I cannot answer you as to that matter, yet 
I hope he had." 

Upon saying so, the gentleman wept much. 

"Did you never, as his parent, converse 
seriously with him about the salvation of his 
soul ? Did you never tell him that he was a 



104 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

depraved, ruined creature, in consequence of 
his connection with fallen Adam 7 " 

''No, indeed, I never did." 

''If his soul be ruined, depend upon it,'' 
said I, "he will upbraid you as the cause of 
it, when you meet together at the tribunal of 
God. You weep for the loss you have sus- 
tained by his death, which I confess is a great 
loss to you ; but you have far more reason to 
weep for the injustice and injury you did him 
when living. May God grant you repentance 
unto life." 

"What you say, sir, wounds my feelings; 
I remember my faults this day." 

"I designed to make you feel," said I; 
"and to bring home to your conscience a con- 
viction of your sin, that you might be impelled 
to look for mercy to a merciful God, who is 
revealed to you as such in Jesus Christ." 

I then inquired if he had any more children. 
He said he had three daughters at home, and 
one married to a gentleman who lived in the 
same street. I then requested him to go home 
and search the Scriptures for the hidden wis- 
dom they contain ; and what God taught him 



CHARITY-BOY. 105 

by means of these Scriptures, to tell it imme- 
diately to his surviving children, lest any of 
them, like their brother, should be hurried 
away to eternity in their ignorance. He said 
he would attend to my advice, and he walked 
away with considerable concern. 



I next went towards a charity boy, who 
carried a hymn-book under his arm. I asked 
him where he had been with his hymn-book. 
He said at church, hearing a charity sermon 
for the benefit of his school. I inquired what 
text the minister preached from. He assured 
me he had entirely forgot it. I then asked him 
if he recollected what he had for breakfast that 
morning. 

'' yes ! " said he, '^I had bread and butter 
and coffee." 

^' What had you yesterday for dinner ? " 

^' Pudding, sir.'' 

^'How well you remember these matters; 
but what a pity you should so soon forget the 
word of God ! You must remember your 
Creator in the days of your youth ; and re- 



106 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

memberj too, that young people die. Indeed, 
that very grave on which you stand is a proof 
of it ; for look at the tomb-stone, and you will 
find that the boy who is under your feet was 
only eight years of age when he died." 



An old woman was passing, to whom I ob- 
served that this place would be a wonderful 
place in the morning of the resurrection, when 
the thousands, whose dust is deposited here, 
should spring above ground in the twinkling 
of an eye ; some rising to enjoy everlasting 
life, and others to endure everlasting con- 
tempt. 

'' yes," said she, ^^ that will be a dreadful 
m.orning to many, and may we all be prepared 
for it ! " 

On saying so, she walked on. 



The INSCRIPTION UPON A TOMB-STONE in- 
formed me that the person beneath had been 
remarkable for benevolence and various virtues. 
One who was reading the inscription at the 



TOMB-STONE INSCRIPTION. 107 

same time, told me he had been acquainted 
with the gentleman to whom it referred ; — he 
considered him a good sort of a man. 

'^But/' said he, ^'he was a sad, swearing 
fellow." 

^' How can a swearer be a good sort of man ] 
His blaspheming and irreverent swearing, de- 
monstrate that his heart is full of every abom- 
ination ; he is daily offending the ears of the 
pious, and exhibiting a mischievous example to 
all around, especially to his own family. The 
memory of such a man ought to rot with his 
body ; and such inscriptions as these are impo- 
sitions on the public. If his friends were deter- 
mined to say something concerning him, they 
should have lamented that the person under 
the stone had, in his lifetime, been a notorious 
swearer, and that he had laughed at reproof. 
They should then have warned others not to 
follow his example, lest, like him, they should 
die in their sins." For the man had told me 
he had uttered an awful oath a short time 
before he expired. 

I then viewed the tombs of many valuable 
and well-known characters, over some of whom 



108 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

were very appropriate and striking inscriptions ; 
some as if the person under ground addressed 
the passenger. If I may judge from my own 
feelings when perusing them, I think these are 
calculated to make a powerful impression ; and 
who knows but many have been converted to 
God by means of a supposed speech from a 
dead man ? To hear of this in heaven would 
afford great pleasure to his living soul. 



An ASS came running into the burying- 
ground. 

"Now," said I to the little boy, who still 
followed me, "what does that creature remind 
you of? Does it not remind you of Jesus 
riding into Jerusalem on one of these animals, 
and of the Jewish children crying out, Hosanna 
to the Son of David ? Was it not wonderful 
that He who supported the pillars of heaven and 
earth, should condescend to be supported by an 
ass ? He humbled himself, that we might be 
raised to the highest honor." 



LETTER-CARRIER. 109 

On coming from the burying-ground, a let- 
ter-carrier passed me. I followed him, and 
began a conversation by saying that his em- 
ployment was a very solemn and important 
one. 

^•How so?^' said he. 

^^ Perhaps, at this time, you are carrying 
tidings to a family of the death of him on 
whom they all depended for support ; to a 
mother, that her only child has been drow^ned ; 
to a merchant, that his richly-laden ship has 
foundered at sea. Perhaps you are carrying 
to a profligate youth that w hich God &hall bless 
to his everlasting salvation ; and perhaps you 
are to inform another that he has become heir 
to a large estate, which the devil will use to 
eflect his eternal ruin. Perhaps you are to 
inform another that a friend has arrived from 
abroad, whom he has been longing to see for 
many years. Wherefore, you should deliver 
your letters with an awe upon your mind." 

Then I inquired if he had ever had any 
letters from an ambassador of the King of 
heaven. He answered, 

10 



110 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

'^ Have you a New Testament ? " 
^' No, I have neither new nor old." 
•^ There is one for you," said I, handing him 
a New Testament. 

*' Thank you," said he. 
^^ Now read the letters which that book eon- 
tains, for they are all intended for your admo- 
nition and instruction." 

He then went away ; and I walked home, 
much gratified by the various occurrences, 
especially by the change in the old grave- 
digger. 



IX. 

House on Fire. — The Eecruiting Sergeant. — The Trum- 
peter. — Waiting Servant to the King. — Westminster 
Scholar. 

Having heard that a friend's house had 
been on fire during the night, I called on him 
in the morning to inquire after his welfare ; 
when he invited me to join in prayer and 
thanksgiving with his family, for their won- 
derful preservation during the fire and the 
confusion it occasioned. We began by sing- 
ing a suitable hymn, then read an appropriate 
portion of Scripture, and prayed to our heav- 
enly Father. After which, I made a few 
remarks to the following effect. 

^'Should a man," said I, ''go into the street 
and call Fire ! fire I Avhere there was no fire, he 
would be apprehended, put in jail, and pun- 
ished for disturbing the public peace. The 
apostles went into heathen cities, and called 



112 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

upon the inhabitants to flee from the wrath to 
come ; wherefore, they seized the apostles and 
punished them as persons who turned the world 
upside down. But, knowing the danger Avas 
certain, the apostles were not deterred by per- 
secution from executing their commission ; they 
continued to their last breath to proclaim the 
truth. Thus were they faithful unto death, 
and obtained the crown of life." 



Leaving my friend's house, and pursuing my 
walk, I met a recruiting sergeant, who was 
endeavoring to persuade some young men to 
enlist into his majesty's service. He told them 
how many yellow guineas they should receive 
immediately on entering ; likewise, that they 
should be presented with a handsome suit of 
clothes ; that they should live without work, 
and yet be in a way to become rich ; also, when 
they were unfit for the service, they should 
retire on a pension. He was successful in his 
attempt, for he had no sooner ended his address, 
than three of the young men stretched out their 
hands to receive the proffered money; after 



RECRUITING SERGEANT. 113 

which, the recruiting party, with their new 
associates, walked towards the west end of the 
town. I followed them at a little distance, to 
watch a proper opportunity to converse with 
the sergeant. Near Charing Cross such an 
opportunity occurred, for he dropped a little 
to the rear ; upon which I made up to him, 
and began a conversation by remarking that 
he and I nearly resembled each other in our 
occupations. 

^' What," said he, ^^are you on the recruit- 
ing service ? " 

^^Yes." 

'^For what corps?" 

^^ For the holy corps." 

''In all my life I never heard of such a 
regiment. Pray," said he, ''where are they 
quartered now ?" 

I told him they were scattered abroad over 
great part of the earth, but their head-quarters 
were in heaven. 

"Upon my word," said the sergeant, "you 
are an odd fellow." 

He then called upon his comrades to draw 
near and hear our conversation. When they 
10^ 



114 WALKS OP USEFULNESS. 

came near, he told them there was a man re- 
cruiting for the holy corps, whose head-quar- 
ters were in heaven. On hearing this, they 
all laughed immoderately, and expected great 
sport, for they concluded I was deranged. The 
new recruits came all around me, asking what 
my master would give them if they enlisted. 
I said they should receive inexhaustible riches, 
a royal robe, and eternal life ; that they should 
not have to watch and protect the king, but the 
king would watch and protect them ; that, after 
arriving at the head-quarters, they should never 
be sent into a foreign country, but should re- 
main at rest in the palace, feasting with the 
king and his nobles. 

^^ Will you make good your word," said they 
all, ^4f we enlist?" 

I assured them I would produce his majesty's 
warrant for all I said. I then pulled out my 
Bible, saying, 

^'Here is my warrant from the King of 
kings ! " 

And I preached to them Jesus and the 
resurrection without a parable. I perceived 
that in a short time they begau to think I was 



TRUMPETER. 115 

not deranged, for they listened attentively, and 
walked oflf very quietly. 



I then went to a soldier who was standing 
under one of the trees, and who was curiously 
dressed. I asked what office in the army he 
filled. 

^' 0," said he, ^^I am a trumpeter." 

^^ So am I," replied I. 

^^ Where's your trumpet?" said he, in 
jest. 

I told him I carried it in my pocket. 

^^Let me see it, then." 

I told him he was not accustomed to my 
trumpet ; and I was pretty certain he could 
not blow it, for none can do that till they are 
acquainted with its internal structure ; but, as 
I had a spare one, I would give it him to prac- 
tise upon at home. Upon saying so, I pre- 
sented him with a Bible, to his no small aston- 
ishment, for he expected to see a trumpet of a 
new construction. 

^'The circumstance has so amused me," 
Baid he, ^'that I shall most certainly read 



116 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

this Bible, though, in fact, I never read one 
before." 

"Well," said I, "friend, you will find there 
the sound of peace and war, and I hope the 
sound will reach your heart. It will tell you 
also of a trumpet that shall be sounded, on the 
sound of which all the dead shall be imme- 
diately raised, and brought before God to 
receive their final sentence ; and you must be 
there, and your forefathers since the days of 
Adam." 

"I had no idea," said he, "when I came 
from the horse-guards, that I should meet a 
man of your cast." 

"Nothing," said I, "happens by chance; 
it was the Providence of God that brought 
you into my way, or me into yours, and I 
hope our meeting will be productive of much 
good." 

So we parted, perhaps never to meet again 
till the last day. 



The next man I conversed with said he was 

a WAITING SERVANT TO HIS MAJESTY. I 



WESTMINSTER SCHOLAR. 117 

told him that I waited daily upon the King, 
too. 

'^ Not King George, surely ! " 

^^No, King Jesus." 

''You cannot mount up to heaven every 
morning, can you? for Jesus is in heaven," 
said he. 

''He is also on earth," said I, " and speaks 
to his servants by means of his word, and they 
speak to him in their prayers and praises. All 
his servants receive abundant wages every day. 
He blesses them with his presence and rich 
consolations, and tells them of the glories he 
designs to give them when they come to his 
heavenly kingdom. This encourages them to 
be active, zealous and faithful, in his service 
while on earth, and enables them not only to 
meet death with submission and composure, 
but frequently with joy and triumph." 



A BOY BELONGING TO WESTMINSTER SCHOOL, 

who stood opposite to the queen's palace, with a 
book in his hand, was the next with whom I 
conversed. I inquired, in a familiar way, the 



118 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

name of the book which he carried. He said 
it was the Grecian History. I asked if he 
remembered anything in it which he had lately 
read. 

''Yes," said he, ''I have been reading about 
Demosthenes, the great Athenian orator, who 
was a very bad speaker when a young man, 
for his tongue was too big for his mouth ; but 
by his rigid and persevering application he 
overcame all his defects and bad habits." 

'' By what means did he overcome these 
obstacles to his success ? " 

''0," said he, ''he went to the sea-shore, 
when he meant to practise declaiming, and put 
pebbles into his mouth when he spoke, in order 
to render his tongue less flexible. He had also 
an awkward custom of shrugging up his shoul- 
ders ; to cure which, he suspended a drawn 
sword in his chamber, at such a height that 
when he practised his orations it might prick 
his shoulders when he put them up. By these 
means he became one of the greatest orators the 
world ever produced." 

I then asked if he recollected how Demos- 
thenes died. 



WESTMINSTER SCHOLAR. 119 

^^Yes/' said he, ^^he murdered himself by 
taking poison, which he kept in a quill ; and 
he did this lest he should fall into the hands 
of Antipater, the successor of Alexander, by 
whom he expected to be cruelly treated.^' 

I applauded the young man for the attention 
which he evidently gave to what he read. He 
told me that he was not only reading the Gre- 
cian history, but was also learning the Greek 
language. I advised him assiduously to prose- 
cute that important study, for God had more 
highly honored that language than any other, 
except the Hebrew, by giving the revelation of 
his will to man in the New Testament, in that 
language. 

I then inquired if he remembered the name 
of the great Athenian legislator. 

'^0 yes," said he; ''all' the world knows 
Solon ; and surely the Athenians were much 
obliged to him for setting aside the bloody laws 
of Draco." 

^'By the way," said I, ''do you recollect the 
strange manner of Draco's death ? " 

" Yes ; he fled from Athens to the island of 
.SJgina, where he was received with the greatest 



120 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

respect ; — but their kindness killed him : for, 
coming one day into their theatre, the audience, 
to show their regard to him, as was their cus- 
tom, threw their bonnets and cloaks upon him, 
and the number of these was so great, that they 
stifled the old man, being too weak to disen- 
gage himself from the load which their incon- 
siderate kindness cast upon him. Death at this 
time must have been unexpected to all ; and, 
perhaps, to none more so than to Draco. This 
should lead us to watch daily, lest the mes- 
senger of death should come, not only in an 
hour when we are not looking for him, but in 
a way as unexpected." 

" Do you remember who was the great Jew- 
ish legislator 7 " 

He thought a little, and then answered, 

''Moses." 

I told him that Moses received the laws 
from God upon Mount Sinai, which he deliv- 
ered to Israel in the wilderness ; and that 
transgressing them was disobedience against 
God ; and it was not improbable that such a 
man as Solon must have seen them, and bor- 
rowed from them some of his wisest insti- 



WESTMINSTER SCHOLAR. 121 

tutions. I then asked if he remembered 
Xerxes, the Persian emperor, who invaded 
Greece with an army consisting of three 
millions. 

^' Yes, I do," said he ; ^^ and when he came 
to the straits of Thermopylae, in order to enter 
Greece, he was opposed successfully, first by 
four thousand Greeks, and afterwards by three 
hundred Spartans, with Kjng Leonidas at their 
head.'' 

I then thanked him for his discreet answers, 
made him a present of an excellent book, and 
bade him good-day ; after which, I retired to 
my lodgings. 

11 



X. 

The Looking-glass. — Tlie Cobbler. — The Earthen-ware 
Shop. — The Apple-tree. — Stage-coach Passengers. 

The streets being wet and dirty in the morn- 
ing, the people were all walking with caution, 
lest their clothes should be splashed with the 
dirt. This reminded me of the apostle's admo- 
nition, to w^alk circumspectly, not as fools. 
When I stated this reflection to a friend who 
was with me, he asked why the apostle gave 
such a caution to Christians. I answered, 
because we live in a polluted and polluting 
world. Many things that meet the eye and 
the ear will pollute the mind, if we are not 
guarded against them. Indeed, sometimes 
more damage is done to the soul in an un- 
guarded hour, than is repaired for many weeks 
or months. Whatever unfits for spontaneous 
holy meditation, and mars our love to closet 
devotion, does hurt to our souls ; for to do the 



LOOKING-GLASS. 123 

will of God . should be as pleasant to us, as to 
eat when hungry, or to drink when thirsty. 
Now, if I at any time hear or view sin with 
indiflference, my soul will suffer injury. 



A man came forward, who asked me to pur- 
chase a LOOKING-GLASS. I told him I had a 
much better one in my pocket. He said that 
was impossible, and desired I would only try 
his, for he was confident it would give a most 
distinct representation of every face viewed 
in it. 

^^But, my mirror shows me my heart," 
said I. 

The man said he had never heard of heart 
mirrors, and should be glad to see mine. I 
asked him if he would like to see his own 
heart. 

''Yes," said he, ''if I can see it without 
being dissected, and without p^in." 

I assured him it would give him pain to see 
his heart, for it would appear more like the 
heart of a monster than of a man. 



124 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

'^Butj will the sight give pain to my 
body ? " 

'' None," said I. 

^^ 0, then, let me see it, for I am not afraid 
to view its ugliness." 

^'If you will look frequently into my mir- 
ror," said I, ^-you shall have one for your own 
use at home." 

He promised he would ; on which, I pre- 
sented him with a copy of the word of God, 
which I assured him would discover monsters 
in his heart he had neither seen nor known 
before. The man put the Bible into his basket 
and walked off, rather disappointed. However, 
I hope he will read it, and perhaps it may 
prove a great blessing to him. 



I stopped a few minutes at a cobbler's 
SHOP. He asked me what I wanted. 

'^ You do not make shoes, I believe ? " 

^' No," said he, ^' but I mend plenty of old 
ones, and so I make bad shoes good ones." 

*' Can you mend a bad heart ?" 

" No," said he ; ^' God does not engage 



COBBLER. 125 

to do that ; — he promises to give a new 
heart, but does not engage to mend the old 
one." 

^^But does not God command men to make 
for themselves neiv hearts 7 " Ezek. 18 : 31. 

^' Yes, sir ; but did we ever read of any man 
who accomplished the work? I believe not/"' 
said he ; ''and if you read a little further in 
the book of Ezekiel, in the 36th chapter, and 
I think in the 26th verse, you will find God 
promising to give them a new heart ; which I 
strongly suspect intimates that none of them 
had been successful at heart-making.'^ 

I was a little surprised at the shrewd re- 
marks of the honest cobbler, and asked him if 
he was a member of any Christian church. 

''0, yes," said he, ^'I am a member of a 
church that meets in Peace-lane, under the 
care of Mr. Scripture ; and I desire to grow in 
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. There is his book, — pointing to a 
Bible in the corner, — and I should not think 
my shop comfortable if I had not that book 
constantly with me in it." 

'^ Are you not unhappy," said I, ^^ that you 
11^ 



126 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

are not a master shoe-maker , and that you have 
not a large shop, an elegant house, and plenty 
of money 7 " 

^' No," said he, '^ I am just what and where 
God in his providence would have me to be. 
I am contented with his will, and I rejoice 
daily in the hope of perfect bhss beyond the 
grave. I have no care, sir ; the people bring 
me their work ; they are pleased with it when 
done ; they pay me for it, and that provides 
for my family from day to day ; and I have 
something to spare for my poor neighbors." 

'^ Then you have no money in the funds ? " 

^^No, but I have the promise of every need- 
ful blessing from my God, and that is fund 
enough." 

'^ 0," said I, '^ friend, you are a rich man ; 
and you will get richer every day, if you are 
enabled to persevere in your present state of 
mind." 

^' Yes, I shall," said he, ^'for godliness with 
contentment is great gain ; and I know that 
such as hasten by all means to be rich, 
pierce themselves through with many sor- 



CROCKERY- WARE. 127 

rows ; — for the sorrow of the world worketh 
death.'' 



The cobbler's neighbor sold crockery- ware. 
I asked him what all these were made of. He 
said of earth. 

^'So are you and I, and all those people 
walking along the street ; and, what is very 
humbling, we must all become dead earth 
again ; and when our earth is mixed together, 
the earth that composed the body of the richest 
nobleman, or most delicate lady, will not be 
distinguishable from that of the poorest beg- 
gar ; — but there will be a mighty difference, 
immediately after death, between the souls of 
the righteous and the wicked ; more so than 
between your coarsest vessel and the finest 
China. 

'' When any of these vessels are broken, can 
you make them over again ? " said I. 

^'0, no," said he, '' thej are perfectly use- 
less; they cannot be made again." 

^' Not so," said I, '^ with the bodies of men ; 
for, in the morning of the resurrection, God 
shall collect the particles of which each body 



128 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

was composed, and make the body of every 
man again, never more to moulder in the 
grave. Some of these shall be made fit to 
enjoy the boundless glories of Jehovah forever 
in heaven ; and others rendered capable of 
enduring, without annihilation, the endless ago- 
nies and miseries of perdition. Wherefore, if 
you are wise, you will betake yourself instantly 
to the atoning blood shed upon Mount Calvary 
for the sins of men, without the shedding of 
which there could have been no remission." 






Walking along, I observed a person stand- 
ing on the plot of ground before his house, 
carefully examining a tree which stood in the 
middle. 

^'Pray," said I, ''what kind of a tree is 
that?" 

He said an apple-tree. 

'' Does it bear anything ? " 

''No," said he, "and for that reason I am 
resolving to cut it down." 

"You remind me, sir," said I, "that this 
world is a garden of God's ; that he has put 



APPLE-TREE. 129 

men into it, as trees, to bear fruits of right- 
eousness. He is daily inspecting us, as you 
were that tree, to see if we are bringing forth 
fruit ; if we continue unfruitful, or are only 
producing what is noxious, we are on the point 
of being condemned, like that tree at which 
you are looking." 

*'I have been thinking to cut that tree 
down," said he, ''every year these ten years, 
but spared it from time to time, in the hope 
that perhaps next year it might bear : but it 
has now exhausted my patience, and I am 
determined to cut it down, and put another in 
its room." 

"Take care," said I, ''lest God be speak- 
ing in the same manner concerning you. I 
see he has spared you more than ten or twenty 
years, and perhaps you have brought forth no 
more fruit to the praise of his glory, than that 
barren tree, of which you have been speaking, 
has produced of apples to you. If so, admire 
his patience, praise him for his goodness, re- 
pent of your barrenness, look to him for fruit- 
fulness." 

The man seemed surprised at my address, 



130 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

but he made no remarks ; — of course I went 
to look out for work elsewhere. 



I stepped into an inn to take a little refresh- 
ment, and likewise to see if any good could be 
done there. I had onlj been a short time in 
the public room, when a coach full of pas- 
sengers arrived. They had been travelling 
all night, and were as hungry as hawks. They 1 1 
were no sooner out of the coach, than they 
rushed into the room where I sat, unanimous- 
ly and earnestly calling out for something to 
eat! 

^^ 0," said I, '^gentlemen, I wish I were as 
hungry and as earnest for the bread of life, as 
you are for dinner." 

^' But what," said one, '' if you had nothing 
to eat, like us?" 

^'No danger of that," said I, ^^for there is 
always abundance ready for eating in my 
father's house." 

^^ Where is your father's house ? " said an- 
other gentleman. 

I pointed upwards, thereby signifying that 



COACH PASSENGERS. 131 

heaven was my father's house. A large piece 
of roast meat coming in prevented further con- 
versation for a time. Having obtained liberty, 
I sat down to dinner with them. 

After a busy half hour in handling the knife 
and fork, they began to break silence, by con- 
gratulating each other on so happy a termina- 
tion of their long journey. 

I remarked that they had not reached the 
end of their journey yet. They all asserted 
they had. 

''Give me leave, gentlemen," said I, '4o 
observe that human life is a journey to the 
eternal country, and every day is a stage of 
that journey. When a person is travelling by 
himself, he is always anxious to know if he is 
in the right road. Now, like these, we should 
be constantly examining if we are in the road 
that leads to the heavenly Jerusalem. There 
are many ways to London from the country, 
but only one way to heaven, and that is by 
Jesus Christ." 

•'0," said one, ^^we are all young; we shall 
have leisure to think of these gloomy subjects 
before we become gray- headed." 



132 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



I 



" But no man can say what may happen to 
him before evening ; we ought to be always 
ready to depart from time. You passed over 
Henley bridge in your way to town, did you 
not?'' 

^' Yes, yes/' said they all. 

'^ Wellj suppose that bridge had broken down 
while you were on it, and you had all perished 
in its ruins, or in the river, where would your 
souls have been now ? Think of that ; I do not 
ask you to answer me." 

One of the company remarked he had had 
no sleep for two nights. 

''That reminds me," said I, ''friends, that 
there will be no sleep in the place of misery." 

" Why are men sent there ? " said the 
youngest in the company. 

"Because," said I, "men will not believe 
in the name of the only begotten Son of 
God." 

"What is the harm of that? Does unbe- 
lief do any injury to God ? " 

"Yes, sir, it is disobeying his commandment, 
despising his love, rejecting the only Saviour, 
murdering the soul ; so that if we believe not, 



THE WIND. 133 

we shall die in our sins, and the wrath of God 
will abide on us forever. It is very probable 
this company will never meet again, till the 
heavens and the earth be no more ; — from 
love to you I would therefore recommend daily 
searching of the word of God, which contains 
all necessary information respecting God and 
the interests of the soul of man." 

Having paid the bill, we all dispersed in 
different directions. 



XI. 

High Wind. —- The Black Servant. — The Prison. — Dep- 
utation from Society for Relieving Small Debtors, 
&c., &c. 

The wind having been remarkably boister- 
ous during the night, the street appeared in the 
morning covered with pieces of bricks, tiles, &c. 
I observed at breakfast to my friends, the great 
goodness of God in keeping the wind compara- 
12 



134 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



m- 



tively moderate ; for, had he chosen, he could 
have given it a thousand times more force ; and 
had he done so, there would not have been one 
building remaining in the whole city ; — all 
would have been a heap of ruins, or scattered 
abroad over all the country ; and, perhaps, 
not one inhabitant left to deplore the devas- 
tation. So that mankind are every moment 
the monuments of divine mercy, and the liv- 
ing ought to praise him. 



After leaving home, I soon got into conver- 
sation with a BLACK SERVANT, who told me he 
was taken from Africa when a boy ; was car- 
ried to the West Indies in a slave ship ; sold 
as a slave to a good master, who brought him 
to this country, where he obtained his liberty. 
I asked him if he had got acquainted with the 
true God, since he came among white people. 
He said he had heard of him, but did not know 
much concerning him ; for few had ever taken 
the trouble to instruct him. 

'^ However,'' said he, ^^ it does not appear to 
be of much importance whether I know him or 



BLACK SERVANT. 135 

not ; for all those whom I meet with, who say 
they know him, do not regard his commands. 
Indeed, the best people I have yet seen, only 
worship him once a week." 

'^ But," said I, 'Hhese people who only pro- 
fess to worship God once a week, are not Chris- 
tians ; for Christians worship God daily, in their 
closets, and with their families. '^ 

I then told him of the creation of the world, 
and of man ; of his first estate ; then of his 
fall through the influence of the tempter ; of 
the promise of a deliverer ; of his arrival in 
our world ; who he was ; the manner of his 
life ; his doctrines and miracles ; the manner 
and design of his death ; of his resurrection, 
ascension, intercession and second coming. 

On each of these topics I enlarged, and en- 
deavored to convince him of their importance, 
and their blessed influence on the mind of man 
w4ien understood and believed ; and the awful 
consequence of not believing them, after hear- 
ing them once faithfully stated. 

He told me he could not read. I advised him 
to put himself to school immediately, and to 
pursue after knowledge with the utmost avid- 



136 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

ity ; for his time on earth might be but short 
The man left me, in appearance fully deter- 
mined to go to school directly, principally with 
a view of being able to read the word of God. 



A PRISON at a little distance next attracted 
my attention. I went into it on the debtors' 
side first. Many strong doors, locks and bolts 
were opened, before I reached the prisoners. 
These were all confined for debts which they 
were unable to pay. I took one man aside, 
and asked him how much he owed his credi- 
tors. He said upwards of three hundred 
pounds ; and, though I have offered them my 
all, they will not consent to my liberation. 

'^ And," added he, ''every day I continue 
here my debt is increasing, by the accumula- 
tion of the prison dues." 

''Your case," I said, "reminds me of the 
debt we owe to God." 

" What debt can we owe to God ? " said he. 

"Every sin we commit dishonors God; we 
therefore owe him reparation or satisfaction ; 
• — this we cannot give ; our not repeating the 



II 



PRISON. 137 

sin cannot pay the old debt ; as little can our 
being sorry for the debt procure its discharge ; 
and such as die in debt to God. shall be cast 
into the prison of hell, where their debt will 
continue increasing forever and ever ; for the 
wicked will not cease to sin there, notwith- 
standing all their sufferings. 

'^I suppose you have some hope of being 
liberated from this prison ? " 

^'Yes," said he; ^'but the period is very 
distant." 

''However distant," said I, ^-your case dif- 
fers widely from that of God's prisoners ; for 
from that prison there is no redemption." 

''You said that no man can ever pay his 
debt to God," said the debtor, '' either here by 
repentance, or hereafter by his suffering. Is 
every man then lost forever ? " 

"No, friend; the Son of God came from 
heaven to pay the sinner's debt ; he took it 
upon himself, and, having died for our guilt, 
God discharged the debt of all who should 
believe in him. After the resurrection and 
ascension of Jesus to heaven, messengers were 
sent into all the world to proclaim forgiveness 
12^ 



138 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



I 



of sins through the sufferings of the Saviour, 
to every creature who should believe in him. 
All who considered the message to be from 
God, most heartily received the joyful tidings, 
blessed and praised him who died for their sins, 
and professed themselves willing to do or suffer 
anything for the glory of his great name. If 
you were now to believe in Jesus as having 
magnified the law by his obedience, and made 
atonement for sin by his suffering unto death, 
you would with a joyful countenance tell your 
fellow-prisoners that your great debt was paid, 
for your sins were pardoned ; that you were 
now the Lord's free man ; — and, likewise, 
that you trusted in him to enable you, in 
some way, honorably to remunerate all your 
earthly creditors." 



Just at this time there came into the prison 
a deputation from a society for relieving 
SMALL debtors. They were soon surrounded 
with applicants, soliciting them to pay their 
debts, for the sums, they said, were not great, 
that they had been long in prison, had large 



RELIEVING SMALL DEBTORS. 139 

families dependent on them, and that they 
would beware of ever getting into debt again. 
On beholding this scene. I could not refrain 
saying, 

'* 0, that you were as conscious of the debts 
you owe to God, and as anxious to have them 
cancelled ! " 

I then assured them that Jesus was Avilling 
and waiting to pay all their debts, great as 
well as small ; and that whosoever came unto 
him for this purpose, he would in no wise send 
away without answering all their demands. 

It was pleasant to observe the joy and grati- 
tude expressed by some, whom the' gentlemen 
had relieved. They seemed as if they had been 
brought into a new world ; they extolled the 
friendship and kindness of the deputation, and 
praised the magnificence of those who had 
raised the funds by which they had been 
relieved. 

'^ 0,'' said one, '^ I shall see my little 
family in an hour, and we shall all rejoice 
together ! " 

I viewed them as pictures of pardoned 
smners. 



140 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



m\ 



The gentlemen, for want of funds, were 
obliged to reject many applications, but they 
did it with much feeling and regret, which 
they suitably and affectingly expressed to the 
unsuccessful applicants. These I observed to 
retire Avith sorrowful hearts, in consequence of 
this expected means of liberation having failed. 
I went up to them, and assured them that Jesus 
was waiting to deliver men from the enormous 
debt they owed to God ; that he possessed an 
infinite fulness of merit, and of every blessing, 
so that none could apply to him in vain. Also 
I desired them to notice that those whose debts 
were paid by the deputation, had no money 
given to them when liberated. 

''No," said I, "these men were poor when 
they came into prison, and they are poor still ; 
but when Jesus procures the forgiveness of 
debt, and the discharge of the prisoner, he 
puts him in possession of durable riches. The 
same Lord over all is rich unto all that call 
upon him." 

I went next to the felon side of the prison, 
where my ears were constantly grated by the 



FELON SIDE OF THE PRISON. 141 

rattling of chains in every direction. Here 
were rioters, thieves, murderers, &c. 

I conversed with some who were waiting 
their trial. Most of them asserted their inno- 
cence, and expressed hope of getting free when 
their cause came into court. I told these that 
they were to undergo a second trial. Upon 
hearing this, they were startled, and inquired 
from whom I had the information. I told 
them I had it from God ; that we must all 
appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, to 
answer for the deeds done in the body, whether 
they have been good or evil ; and assured them 
that though a thousandth part of our guilt 
might never be made evident before a human 
tribunal, yet all things were naked and open 
to the eyes of that God with whom we have to 
do. I begged them to think seriously how it 
would go with them on that decisive day ; — 
whether they would then plead innocent or 
guilty ; whether the Judge would be their 
friend or their enemy. I entreated them to 
ask mercy now, while Jesus filled the throne 
of grace ; for, if they lost the present opportu- 
nity, they might afterwards forever sue for 



142 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

mercjj but in vain. I then presented them 
with a Bible, telling them it contained good 
news to the guilty and rebellious sons of men, 
revealing a fountain where sinners might be 
washed from every stain, and rendered meet 
for glorifying and enjoying God here, and in 
the regions of immortality. 



I then walked to the cells of those who were 
under sentence of death. One would expect to 
meet there with men weeping and trembling in 
the prospect of dying in a few days, and not 
only leaving all things here below, but also 
entering upon a new and eternal state. Instead 
of concern and inquiry, I found, in most of the 
prisoners, a careless, desperate indifference to 
what should befall them. 

'^0, friends." said I, ''I am sorry to see 
you under the influence of stupidity and insen- 
sibility to the awful importance of your present 
circumstances. Are you indifferent whether 
your souls are to be miserable or happy during 
an endless eternity 7 Is it nothing to you to 
be ignorant of the God that made you ; — of 



CELLS OF THE CONDEMNED. 143 

the compassionate Redeemer who died for the 
ungodly, through whom alone you can obtain 
mercy ? Do you think God Avas not a witness 
of all your past conduct ? Do you not know 
that he searches the heart of man ? 

Then I repeated to them many of the com- 
mandments of God, requesting them to con- 
sider whether they had broken any or all of 
them, and declaring from the Scripture that if 
they had offended in one point, or had broken 
only one of the commandments, they would be 
proceeded against in the same way as if they 
had broken all of them. 

^'This may be explained by things with 
which you are acquainted; for example," said 
I, ^' the man who is guilty of murder^, or rob- 
bery, or forgery, or treason, &c., by the law 
of England, forfeits his life ; he suffers death, 
if but guilty of one of these crimes, the same 
as if he had committed them all. In like man- 
ner, breaking the law of God in one point ex- 
poses a man to the loss of eternal life, and to 
the enduring of everlasting punishment, equally 
with his having broken all the commandments 
in the law. Without faith in the blood of Jesus 



144 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

we can no more obtain the forgiveness of one 
sin than we can of a thousand ; indeed, the 
blood of Jesus, if trusted in, will obtain pardon 
of all our sins, though more in number than 
the hairs upon our heads, or the particles of 
sand on the sea- shore. If you acknowledge 
your iniquities to God, and ask their forgive- 
ness for his Son's sake, he will frankly forgive 
you all your trespasses, for he is rich in mercy 
for his great name's sake. Is not this a salva- 
tion adapted to your condition 7 You cannot 
repair the damage you have done to society by 
your crimes ; you are unable to do anything 
that can atone to God for your forgetfulness 
of him, your disregard to his admonitions, your 
rebellion against his holy laws ; but he has 
graciously provided an atonement for your sins, 
with which you are encouraged to come to him 
and to plead it. 

^' 0, the riches of divine grace, goodness and 
mercy ! it surpasses all conception. May these 
darkened understandings of yours be opened, 
to know the things that belong to your peace, 
before they are forever hidden from your eyes ; 
and may these tongues of yours be loosed to 



CONVERSATION AT BREAKFAST. 145 

praise and publish the wonderful acts of the 
Lord ! '' 

I thought the truth I had declared made 
some impression on their hearts, for tears 
appeared in several eyes. The dinner was 
now brought forward; consequently, after leav- 
ing a couple of Bibles, I departed, promising 
to return soon. 



XII. 

Conversation at Breakfast. — The Smith's Shop. — A 
Funeral. — Sheep going to the Slaughter-house. — 
Peace Proclaimed. 

While at breakfast, we were talking of many 
things which we supposed might have happened 
during the preceding night. It was asked of 
all round the table what they supposed to have 
happened. 

One said, perhaps there are thousands who 
have not slept iBve minutes, since sun-set, in 
13 



146 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

consequence of pain of body or uneasiness of 
mind. 

Another remarked, that probably some, who 
went to bed in perfect health, were at mid- 
night hastily called to appear before their 
Judge. While they slept, literally, the cry 
w^as, ^'Behold the bridegroom cometh ; go ye 
out to meet him." I 

Others were greatly alarmed by robbers 
rushing into their houses, and plundering them 
of their property. 

Some were called from a sound sleep to wit- 
ness the solemn departure of a dear friend. 

Another, perhaps, had all his property con- 
sumed by fire, and hardly escaped with life. 

Others were shipwrecked on an inhospitable 1 1 
shore ; others were in a vessel that foundered 
in the middle of the mighty ocean, and were 
all swallowed up in a watery grave ; others, 
having escaped destruction, by means of their 
vessel weathering the storm, Considered them- 
selves in jeopardy during the Avliole night, and 
are now congratulating each other on their 
preservation. 

These and many other remarks tended to 



smith's shop. 147 

solemnize all our minds, and to render us grate- 
ful to the wise Disposer of all things, who had 
protected us from these, or similar calamities. 



At a little distance from home I came to a 
smith's shop, where the men were all busy in 
beating iron into various shapes, to answer vari- 
ous purposes. On stepping in I remarked that 
iron was a hard metal. 

'•We know that by experience," said the 
workmen, ^'though the fire helps us by soften- 
ing it considerably." 

I replied that I knew nothing harder than a 
hardened sinner, yet the furnace of affliction 
sometimes so melts him down, as disposes him 
to listen to the instructions of God. 

'•This was often made manifest," said I, 
'' in the history of the Israelites in the wilder- 
ness, for they were a stiff-necked and rebellious 
race : but when God visited their iniquities with 
his judgments, then they attended to his com- 
mandments." 

I asked what some articles were which I saw 
hanorinor in a corner. 



148 



WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



^' These are hand-cuffs/' said one of the 
men; ^Hhey are intended to prevent pris- 
oners from making their escape, or doing 
mischief." 

'^ If all," said I, ^'who commit crimes against 
God, were hand-cuffed, how many would be 
without them?" 

^^ Indeed," said one, ^^I fear few, in that 
case, would be free from them ; we should see 
most of our ladies and gentlemen, as well as 
our poor, wearing them." 

^^ Must not God then be very merciful, that 
he does not affix some mark of ignominy upon 
all who offend him ; — for instance, that he 
does not deprive the swearer of the faculty of 
speech, the drunkard of his reason, the lust- 
ful of his eyes, and the quarrelsome of his 
hands, in order to deter others from commit- 
tino; the same crimes?" 



As I walked along, I met a funeral, pro- 
ceeding with solemn step. I said to a man who 
stood gazing at it, 

^^ Friend, if you goto heaven you will never 



FUNERAL. 149 

see such a sight there ; — and can you tell me 
why?'' 

"Because," said he, "I suppose people do 
not die there. We do not bury living people 
in this world, but only such as are dead." 

" True," said I ; " but why do they not die 
in heaven as well as on earth '? " 

He could not tell. I told him it was because 
there is no sin there, that the inhabitants of 
heaven shall no more say even that they are 
sick, the people there being delivered from all 
their iniquity. " If you heard of a country 
where none died, though at the uttermost end 
of the earth, would not you be very anxious to 
go there ? If you could not pay your passage 
thither, would you not be willing that the cap- 
tain should sell you for a slave, on reaching 
that happy land, in order to pay himself for 
taking you?" 

"That I would," said the man, with a deter- 
mined tone of voice. 

" Well, friend, is it not astonishing that so 

few ask, What shall I do to inherit eternal 

life ? Is it not because they disbelieve all that 

God says respecting the world to come ? If a 

13^ 



150 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



single letter is received from America, by- 
person in England, stating that it will be 
greatly to his advantage to settle there, the 
statement will be believed, if it comes from a 
man of wisdom and integrity, and a thousand 
to one but the person instantly begins to pre- 
pare for crossing the Atlantic Ocean. But 
though God expatiates in his word upon the 
glories, riches and boundless happiness of the 
heavenly state, and earnestly entreats men to 
come and take possession of it, yet few com- 
paratively are at all influenced by what he 
says ; they treat the whole as an idle tale. 
What will God do with such men ? Will he 
not cast them from his presence, and signally 
punish them for their obstinacy and stupid- 
itjV 



n 



Some SHEEP were passing along to the 
butcher's in order to be slaughtered. They 
made no resistance, no noise; but walked on 
peaceably. 

^*Now," said I, ^'the Son of God went as 
peaceably and willingly to be put to death for 



SHEEP. 151 

sin, as you see these sheep going to their death, 
that he might obtain eternal redemption for 
them who should beHeve on him. He well 
knew the value of the soul of man, though 
most men neglect and despise his salvation ; 
but do not you do it any longer." 

*'I never despised his salvation," said the 
man, rather angrily. 

I asked him if he had ever trusted in Christ 
for the salvation of his soul. He said he had 
not. 

^'Well," said I, -Hhat is despising his sal- 
vation. Though you may not have derided it 
with your lips, you have done it by your prac- 
tice. If a man fall into the river, and I go to 
him in a boat to save him, and he will not come 
into my boat, but says he will take his own way 
in saving himself, is not that despising me and 
my help 7" 

^' Most certainly." 

'•In a similar way do such as neglect the 
Saviour and his salvation, despise both. Or 
suppose that the man who is to be hanged to- 
morrow, were to receive a written pardon from 
the king, but he threw it into a corner of his 



152 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

cell, and never presented it to the executioners 
of justice, and consequently was hanged; would 
not every one say that that man despised the 
king's clemency 1 So will every man appear 
to have done who neglects the salvation of 
Christ." 



As I walked on towards London, I observed 
many things which indicated that something 
uncommon was to take place to-day. I asked 
a man what such and such things meant. 

^' What ! " said the man, " do you live under 
ground, or in the upper regions, that you do 
not know peace is to be proclaimed to- 
day?" 

I told him peace was proclaimed every day. 
With a contemptuous sneer, he asked me if 
peace with France was proclaimed every day. 
I said no ; but peace with a higher power 
was. 

^' What power," asked he, ^'is greater than 
France?" 

I answered, '^ God ; and he proclaims peace 
to men every day." 



PEACE PROCLAIMED. 153 

'^Pray," said he, ^^ where 7" 

'^ In his word.'^ 

^- In his word ? " said he ; ^^ what or where 
is that 7". 

^^ The Bible is his word; it is God speaking 
to man from heaven ; and, friend," said I, 
^* if you believe not in that peace that is pro- 
claimed to you through the sufferings of Jesus 
for sin, it will fare hard with you in the world 
to come." 

The man became a little more civil, and lis- 
tened attentively to some other remarks that I 
made. After which, he said that he had trav- 
ersed the streets of London for more than thirty 
years, and never got good advice from any man 
till to-day. 

''Well," said I, ''see that you profit by what 
you have heard ; if you do not, you will regret 
it forever and ever." 



XIII. 

Elegant Mansion. —Two Men Returning from Market. — 
A Sieve. — Servant Girl. 

In my walk this morning I observed some 
men building an elegant mansion for a rich 
man. I inquired of the workmen how long it 
was likely that building would stand. They 
said probably for two or three hundred years. 
Upon which I assured them it was too feeble a 
fabric for me ; ^^ I was seeking for a house that 
should last forever." 

^^0," said several of the workmen, "you 
will not meet with such a mansion in this 
world ; you must have recourse to some other 
region ; for everything here parishes with the 
using." 

"Well," said I, "friends, I am daily seek- 
ing from God an house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens ; and I trust he will 



ELEGANT MAXSIOX. 155 

give it me ; and I think your daily occupation 
should constantly remind you that it is your 
interest also to seek the same eternal house for 
a residence beyond the grave. 

''God is at present rearing a building of 
mercy ; men and Tvomen are the stones, and 
Jesus the Son of God is the chief corner-stone. 
This building began in the days of Adam ; a 
great part of it is now finished ; there was a 
first and there shall be a last stone, which 
shall be put on with shoutings of Grace ! 
grace ! 

"Consider, my friends, whether you make 
part of this precious building, for all others at 
the end of the world shall be cast, as useless 
and worthless materials, into everlasting burn- 
ings. 

"There is not one dead or useless stone in 
this divine building, all are made and kept 
alive by the heavenly Architect. Jesus is the 
Collector of the stones ; they are all dead when 
he comes to them ; but he speaks to these dead 
stones, through his Gospel, and his word is 
powerful, so that they hear his voice, and are 
made willing to form part of the glorious build- 



156 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

irig ; and tliey become an habitation of God 
through the Spirit." 

One of the workmen thanked me for my 
remarks, and afterwards observed that their 
stones, after coming from the quarry, required 
a deal of hewing and polishing before they were 
fit for the building. 

'^ So do Christ's," said I, '^ for this is a pre- 
paratory world ; his stones are fitted here for 
occupying their appointed places in the build- 
ing above, and some of the stones are so hard 
that they require many years' polishing before 
they can with propriety be removed. As Solo- 
mon prepared, at a distance, all the materials 
for building the temple at Jerusalem, that no 
sound of hammers and chisels might be heard 
at the edifice while it was rearing, so does God 
respecting the heavenly temple ; he removes 
their imperfections so completely here, that 
they appear perfect before God when they 
come to Zion." 

Some of the men appeared really desirous 
that their lot might be in the house of the Lord 
forever. I earnestly advised them to ask this 
favor from the Lord of the house ; I assured 



ELEGANT MANSION. 157 

them he was the friend of sinners, and would 
in no wise cast out them that came to him for 
any favor, and pointed to the very passage 
where he said so. 

One of the men who had been listening to 
the conversation at a distance, came forward, 
and said, rather in a scoiBng manner, 

^^I fear I am too rough and hard-hearted a 
fellow to make a good stone in the building you 
have been telling us of" 

I asked him if he thought he was more so 
than Manasseh the murderer, or Saul the per- 
secutor ; for these men had been made holy and 
happy through the riches and power of divine 
mercy and grace ; — ^' and supposing you to be 
worse than either of these men," said I, '*yet 
nothing is too hard or difficult for an omnipotent 
Saviour to accomplish. He came to save the 
chief of sinners, and he is perfectly able to 
accomplish the work he undertook."' 

These few hints made the man a little more 
serious. One of his comrades, observing this, 
said, smiling a little, 

^•'I think, Tom, your mouth is closed for 
once." 

14 



158 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



4 



*' These are too serious subjects to trifle 
with/' said I; ^^you had better think seriously 
of them when you retire from work." 



Leaving the builders, and walking a little 
further, I met two men returning from 
MARKET, of whom I inquired the state of the 
markets. • They assured me that everything 
sold at such high prices, that they were almost 
afraid to purchase anything. I told them I was 
sorry that the necessaries of life were so diffi- 
cult to be obtained by the poor ; but I was 
happy to know a market where invaluabb 
necessaries were to be had for nothing ; that a 
public crier had proclaimed to the poor, who 
had no money, to come and buy even wine and 
milk, without money and without price. 

The two men looked at each other, as if they 
suspected that I was attempting to impose on 
their credulity. After a little pause, one of 
them inquired where the market was of which 
I had spoken. 

I told them the language I had used was 
metaphorical, at the same time that it was con- 



MEN FROM MARKET. 159 

tained in the Scriptures, and meant that the 
blessings of salvation were to be had of Christ 
for the asking, without any prerequisite what- 
ever. 

'- To assist you to understand me, allow me 
to state an anecdote respecting myself. 

^^ When I first was convinced that I was a 
guilty sinner before God, and thereby exposed 
to his wrath forever, I became exceedingly 
uneasy, and could hardly either eat or sleep. 
There were two things at that time which I 
valued more highly than the aggregate wealth 
of both the Indies, namely, pardon and peace. 
Had I possessed ten thousand worlds, I surely 
would have been willing to have parted with 
them to purchase these two blessings. But I 
found they were not to be purchased with 
money. On reading the Scriptures, I found 
that God had provided a righteousness in his 
own Son, and, if I believed therein, that it 
would entitle me to all the blessings I stood in 
need of The grace of God taught me to be- 
lieve what I read ; then I was assured of par- 
don, and possessed of peace. 

'' Thus I became one of the happiest men in 



160 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

the world. I owe all to the infinite love of 
God in giving his Son, whom he has made unto 
us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and 
redemption. 

^' To the Son, in becoming a sacrifice for sin, 
and dying for the ungodly. 

^' And to the Spirit of God, in directing 
me, a poor sinner, to this all-sufficient Sa- 
viour." 

^^0," said one of them, ^Hhat is not the 
way I wish to be saved ; a good life — works, 
sir, is the way to get to heaven." 

'^ As you think works can procure heaven, 
does your life abound with these good works?" 

^'Not yet," said he; ''but I hope it will 
before I die." 

''I have no doubt, my friend, but you will 
live in the delusive hope of becoming better at 
some future period, till the day of your death, 
unless you come to the Son of God for a right- 
eousness to entitle you to heaven. You must 
be a new man, a believer in the Son of God, 
before any of your works can please God ; you 
must first know how to live by faith on the 
Son of God, how to look to him for grace, 



MEN PROM MARKET. 161 

how to obey from love, and for the glory 
of the Lord, before you will do anything 
aright.'' 

Q'he man replied that he was not master of 
the matter we were discussing, only that he 
had always heard we were to be saved by our 
good deeds : such as charity to the poor, and 
going to church or meeting, and some such 
things, and he thought it very rational. 

"You may think it rational, but it is not 
scriptural ; that is, it is not the way God says 
we shall be saved. The Scriptures say he that 
believes in Christ shall be saved, and that all 
who are saved shall abound in good works. 
Remember, too, that God publishes a salva- 
tion that is suited to the condition of every 
creature. 

" This remark reminds me of a visit which 
a friend of mine made to a young man under 
sentence of death for forgery, and who was 
near the time of his execution. He preached 
to him from the word of God the message of 
mercy ; that there was salvation, complete and 
present salvation, for him in Christ. 
14=^ 



162 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

^^ ^No, no/ said the young man, *by good 
works alone we can be saved.' 

'''Then, upon your principles,' said my 
friend, ' you cannot be saved ; for you, who 
are chained to that floor, and have no connec- 
tion with any creature, cannot perform these 
good works.' 

" Wherefore, he advised him to look only to 
the work of Christ, by which he perfectly glo- 
rified his Father in the room of sinners, by 
which he magnified and made honorable forever 
the law of God." 

The man then asked, "Is a person who 
has believed in Christ, afterwards to live as he 
pleases 7 " 

"In a certain sense he is, for what pleases 
God will then please him, and only that ; for 
if he at any time deviates in heart or life from 
any of the commandments of his God whom he 
loves, he will condemn himself, and ask for- 
giveness from his God through the blood of his 
Son. He makes the will or command of God 
his rule of conduct." Here our conversation 
was interrupted. 



SIEVES. 163 

Observing sieves for sale in a shop that I 
'vvas passing, I called and made a purchase of 
one. While examining the soundness of the 
sieves, I remarked to those in the shop, that 
these sieves were a striking resemblance of too 
many minds. 

''" How so ] ' ' said the shopman. 

*^ Because," said I, '* the sieve lets the good 
grain or the good liquor run through it, and 
only retains the chaff or the refuse. Now there 
are many men who can remember nothing about 
God, or the things of God that they hear, but 
are remarkably retentive of whatever is foolish, 
vain, slanderous, or trifling." 

*'You are very right," said a woman, who 
was also making a purchase ; '' for we remeni- 
ber well thinors we should forc^et, and which we 
sometimes wish to forget, and cannot remember 
what we should, and often what we really wish 
to remember." 

''Yes." replied I, ''for example, we should 
all remember, every day, that we are to stand 
before the judgment-seat of Christ to answer 
for all our conduct here ; and it would do us 



164 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 

much good to remember it ; yet it is probabMi 
not one of us has thought upon it to-day." 

I asked every one present, one after another, 
whether they had or not ; and all honestly ac- 
knowledged they had not. 

*' From this day to the day of your death," 
said I to each, ^'let the sieve be a memorial 
of the corruption of your minds, and of the 
necessity of calling daily upon God to put 
his laws into your minds, and to write them 
on your hearts." 



On returning home in the evening, a ser- 
vant GIRL, belonging to a pious family, was 
waiting to request a Bible to send to her sister 
in the country. 

'' So you consider the Bible to be a valuable 
book, do you 7 " said I. 

^' Yes," said she, ^'indeed, I do ; but I only 
knew it to be so since I came to the family 
w^ith which I now live. When I came there 
I could not read. For some time I endeavored 
to conceal this ; but my mistress pointed out a 
chapter for me to read in the kitchen, and 



SERVANT GIRL. 165 

afterwards to tell her something about it. I 
was then obliged to confess I could not read ; 
that my parents had never put me to school. 
Being indifferent, alas ! about their own souls, 
they were equally so about those of their chil- 
dren. When my mistress knew my situation, 
she purchased a spelling-book, and gave me a 
lesson every evening after my work was done. 
Three weeks ago, while reading of the suffer- 
ings of Christ, I was very much distressed 
about my soul. I told my mistress what I 
felt. She gave me much good advice, and has 
conversed with me every day, since that time, 
about something or other in the Scriptures. To 
convince you how anxious she is about me, only 
last night, when we had a company of good peo- 
ple to tea, she told me that I should hear some 
things in their conversation that would do me 
good. But I was very much disappointed, in- 
deed ; for they only conversed about who was 
the best preacher, some new books that had 
lately been published, about some societies, and 
things of that kind ; but there was nothing for 
me, nothing about Jesus." 

After marking many chapters in the Bible 



166 WALKS OF USEFULNESS. 



for her to read, and giving her a copy to send 
to her sister, I retired, looking to God for a 
blessing on all that had occurred during my 
walk. 



1 



WALKING WITH GOD. 

FOR a closer walk with God, 
A calm and heavenly frame ; 

A light to shine upon the road, 
That leads me to the Lamb ! 

Where is the blessedness I knew, 
When first I saw the Lord ? 

Where is the soul-refreshing view 
Of Jesus and his word ? 

What peaceful hours I once enjoyed ! 

How sweet their mem'ry still ! 
But they have left an aching void 

The world can never £.11. 

Return, holy Dove, return. 
Sweet messenger of rest ! 

1 hate the sins that made thee mourn, 

And drove thee from my breast. 



WALKING AVITH GOD. 167 

Tlie dearest idol I have known, 

Whate'er that idol be, 
Help me to tear it from thy throne. 

And worship only thee. 

So shall my walk be close with God, 

Calm and serene my frame ; 
So purer light shall mark the road 

That leads me to the Lamb. 



THE CHRISTIAN TRAVELLER 



m AMERICA. 



HAViNa tarried a few days in a beautiful 
village of the west, I embarked in a vessel 
which was crossing one of the great lakes. 
Three other individuals had taken passage, and 
night coming on found us waiting for a breeze. 

About nine o'clock, as the sails were hoisted, 
another passenger came on board. When we 
had cleared the harbor, he entered the cabin, 
and seemed to suppose that he was alone ; for 
we had all retired to our berths. The lamp 
was burning dimly on the table, but it afforded 
sufficient light for me to discover that he was 
young. Seating himself beside it, he drew a 
book from his pocket, and read a few minutes. 
Suddenly, from on deck, was heard the voice 
of the captain, uttering oaths terrific beyond 
description. The youth arose, laid his book 



THE CHRISTIAN TRAVELLER. 169 

on the chair, and, kneeling beside it, in a low 
Avhisper engaged in prayer. I listened atten- 
tively, and, though his soul seemed to burn 
Avithin him, I could gather only an occasional 
TN'ord, or part of a sentence, such as '' mercy," 
^^ dying heathen," '^sinners," &c. Presently 
he seemed in an agony of spirit for those 
swearers, and could scarcely suppress his voice 
while pleading with God to have mercy on 
them. My soul was stirred within me. There 
was a sacredness in this place, and I was self- 
condemned, knowing that I also professed the 
name of Jesus, and had retired with my fellow- 
passengers to rest, not having spoken of God, 
or committed myself to his care. 

Early in the morning I was awakened by a 
loud voice at the door of the companion-way, 
'' Here, whose tracts are these ? " followed by 
other voices in threats and imprecations against 
tract distributors, bethels, temperance socie- 
ties, &c. 

I thought of the young stranger, and feared 

they would execute their threats upon him ; 

but he calmly said, ''Those tracts, sir, are 

mine. I have but a few, as you see ; but they 

15 



170 THE CHRISTIAN TRAVELLER 

are very good, and you may take one if you 
wish. I brought them on board to distribute, 
but you were all too busy last night." The 
sailor smiled, and walked away, making no 
reply. 

We were soon called to breakfast with the 
captain and mate. When we were seated at 
the table, — ^'Captain," said our young com- 
panion, ^'as the Lord supplies all our wants, if 
neither you nor the passengers object, I should 
like to ask his blessing on our repast." 

'^If you please," replied the captain, with 
apparent good will. 

In a few minutes the cook was on deck, and 
informed the sailors, who were instantly in an 
uproar, and their mouths filled with curses. 
The captain attempted to apologize for the 
profanity of his men, saying, ^^It was per- 
fectly common among sailors, and they meant 
no harm by it." 

^^ With your leave, captain," said the young 
man, '' I think we can put an end to it." 

Himself a swearer, and having just apolo- 
gized for his men, the captain was puzzled for 
an answer ; but after a little hesitation, replied, 



IN AMERICA. 171 

*'I might as well attempt to sail against a liead 
windj as to think of such a thing.'' 

^'Bat I mean all I said/' added the young 
man. 

^' Well, if you think it possible, you may try 
it," said the captain. 

As soon as breakfast was over, the eldest and 
most profane of the sailors seated himself on the 
quarter-deck to smoke his pipe. The young 
man entered into conversation with him, and 
drew from him the history of the adventures 
of his life. From his boyhood he had followed 
the ocean. He had been tossed on the billows 
in many a tempest ; had visited several mis- 
sionary stations in different parts of the world, 
and gave his testimony to the good effects of 
missionary efforts among the natives of the 
Sandwich Islands. Proud of his nautical skill, 
he at length boasted that he could do anything 
that could be done by a sailor. 

'•' I doubt it," said the young man. 

'' I can," answered the hardy tar ; ^'and will 
not be outdone, — my word for it." 

*'Well, when a sailor passes his word, he 
ought to be believed. I know a sailor who 



172 THE CHRISTIAN TRxiVELLER 

resolved that he would stop swearing, and 
did so." 

'' Ah ! " said the old sailor, '' you have an- 
chored me ; I 'm fast ; but I can do it." 

^'I know you can," said the young man, 
^'and I hope you will anchor all your ship- 
mates' oaths with yours." 

Not a word of profanity was afterwards heard 
on board the vessel. During the day, as oppor- 
tunity presented itself, he conversed with each 
sailor singly, on the subject of his soul's salva- 
tion, and gained the hearts of all. 

After supper he requested of the captain the 
privilege of attending worship in the cabin. 
His wishes were complied with, and soon all 
on board, except the man at the helm, were 
assembled. The captain brought out a Bible, 
which he said was given him in early life by 
his father, with a request that he w^ould never 
part with it. We listened as our friend read 
Matthew's account of Christ's crucifixion and 
resurrection ; and then, looking round upon 
us, he said, 

'' He is risen ; yes, Jesus lives ; let us wor- 
ship him." 



IN AMERICA. 173 

It was a melting scene. Knees, that seldom 
bowed before, now knelt at the altar of prayer, 
while the solemnities of eternity seemed hang- 
ing over us. After prayer Ave went on deck 
and sung a hymn. It was a happy jDlace — a 
floating Bethel, Instead of confusion and 
wrath, there were peace and solemnity. We 
ceased just as the setting sun was flinging upon 
us his last cheering rays. 

The captain, deeply affected, Avent into the 
cabin, lit his lamp, took his Bible, and Avas 
eno:ao!;ed in readino; till we had retired to rest. 

After this, for three days, we regularly at- 
tended public worship, and had much interest- 
ing conversation on various subjects ; for there 
was nothing in the religion of the young 
stranger to repress the cheerfulness of social 
intercourse. From his familiarity with the 
Bible, his readiness in illustrating its truths 
and presenting its motives, and from his fear- 
less, but judicious and perseA^ering steps, we 
concluded that he was a minister of the Gos- 
pel. From all he saAV, he gathered laurels to 
his Master's feet, and in all his movements 
aimed to show that eternity Avas not to be tri- 
15^ 



174 THE CHRISTIAN TRAVELLER 

fled with. A few hours before we arrived in 
port, Ave ascertained that he was a mechanic. 

Before we reached the wharf the captain 
came forward, and with much feeling bade him 
farewell ; declared that he was resolved to live 
as he had done no longer ; his wife, he said, 
was a Christian, and he meant to go and live 
with her ; and added, 

'^ I have had ministers as passengers on my 
vessel. Sabbath days and week days, but never 
before have I been so touchingly reminded of 
the family altar where my departed parents 
knelt/' 

As we left the vessel, every countenance 
showed that our friend had, by his decided, 
yet mild and Christian faithfulness, won the 
gratitude of many, and the esteem of all. 

We soon found ourselves in a canal boat, 
where were about thirty passengers of various 
ages and characters, and my curiosity was not 
a little excited to learn how my companion 
would proceed among them. The afternoon 
had nearly passed away, and he had conversed 
with no one but myself. At length he inquired 



IN AMERICA. 175 

of the captain if he were willing to have prayers 
on board. 

^' I have no objection/' said he, ''if the pas- 
sengers have not ; but I shan't attend.'' 

At an early hour the passengers were invited 
into the cabin, and in a few minutes the captain 
was seated among them. After reading a short 
portion of Scripture, our friend made a few ap- 
propriate remarks, and earnestly commended 
us to God. 

As soon as he rose from prayer, a gentle- 
man, whose head was whitened for the grave, 
said, 

'' Sir, I should like to converse with you. I 
profess to be a deist ; I once professed religion, 
but now I believe it is all delusion." 

^' Sir," said the young man, '• I respect age, 
and will listen to you ; and, as you proceed, 
may perhaps ask a few questions ; but I can- 
not debate ; I can only say that I must love 
Jesus Christ. He died to save me, and I am 
a great sinner." 

•' I do not deny that men are sinners," said 
the old man, '* but I don't believe in Christ." 

*^ Will you then tell us how sinners can be 



176 THE CHRISTIAN TRAVELLER 

saved in some other way, and God's law be 
honored? '' 

We waited in vain for a reply , when my 
friend proceeded : 

''Not many years since, I was an infidel, 
because I did not love the truth, and was un- 
willing to examine it. Now I see my error ; 
and the more I study the Bible, the firmer is 
my conviction of its truth, and that there is 
no way of salvation but through a crucified 
Redeemer." 

As the passengers sat, engaged in conversa- 
tion, one of them at length turned to our young 
friend, and related the circumstances of a mur- 
der recently perpetrated by a man in the neigh- 
borhood, while in a fit of intoxication. To this 
all paid the strictest attention. The captain 
joined them to hear the story, the conclusion of 
which afforded an opportunity for the stranger 
to begin his work. He was the advocate of 
temperance as well as religion, and here gained 
some friends to this cause. 

''But," said he, at length, "though intoxi- 
cation occasions an immense amount of misery 
in our world, I recollect one instance of murder 



IN AMERICA. 177 

-with which it had no connection." He then 
related, as nearly as I can rememberj the fol- 
lowing story : 

'' In a populous city of the East was a man 
who seemed to live only for the good of others. 
He daily exhibited the most perfect benevolence 
toward his fellow-men ; sought out the poor and 
needy, and relieved their wants ; sympathized 
with and comforted the sick and afflicted ; and 
though he was rich, his unsparing beneficence 
clothed him in poverty. He deserved the esteem 
of all ; yet he had enemies. He took no part in 
politics, yet many feared that his generosity 
was a cloak of ambition, and that he was mak- 
ing friends in order to secure to himself the 
reins of government. Others feared that his 
religious views, connected with his consistent 
life, would expose their hypocrisy. At length 
a mock trial was held by an infuriated mob, 
and he was condemned and put to death." 

'•Where was that? When was it? Who 
was it ? " was heard from several voices. 

'•It was in the city of Jerusalem, and the 
person were none other than the Lord Jesus 



178 THE CHRISTIAN TRAVELLER 

Christ. By his enemies he was hung upon the 
cross, and for us guilty sinners he died." 

Every eye was fixed upon the young man, 
and a solemn awe rested on every countenance. 
He opened a Bible which lay upon the table, 
and read the account of Christ's condemnation 
and death ; the captain nodded to him as a sig- 
nal for prayer, and we all again fell on our knees 
while he wept over the condition of sinners, and, 
for the sake of Christ, besought God's mercy 
upon them. Here again was a floating Bethel. 

In the morning, the stranger was not forgot- 
ten ; and he evidently did not forget that there 
were immortal souls around him, hastening with 
him to the bar of God. During the day he con- 
versed separately with each individual, except 
an elderly gentleman who had followed him 
from seat to seat, and showed much uneasiness 
of mind ; the realities of eternity were set be- 
fore us, and the Holy Spirit seemed to be 
striving with many hearts. 

As the mantle of evening was draAving around 
us, our friend requested an interview with the 
aged man. 

''Yes, yes," he said, ''I have been wishing 



IX AMERICA. 179 

all day to see you, but you have been talking 
with others." 

He acknowledged that he had tried to be a 
Universalist ; and, though he could not rest in 
that belief, he never, until the previous- even- 
ing, saw his lost condition. 

''And now," said he, "I want you to tell 
me what I shall do." 

The young man raised his eyes to heaven, 
as if imploring the Spirit's influences, and then 
briefly explained the nature and reasonableness 
of repentance and faith, accompanied by a few 
striking illustrations in proof of the justice of 
God in condemning, and his mercy in pardon- 
ing sinners. 

The old man saw the plan of redemption so 
clearly that he burst into tears, and exclaimed, 

''0, my soul ! my soul ! How have I sin- 
ned against God ! I see it, I feel it ; yes, I 
have sinned all my days." 

''But Jesus died to save sinners," replied 
the young man; "will you, my friend, give 
him your heart?" 

" yes, yes ! if I had a thousamd hearts he 
should have all," was the answer. 



180 THE CHRISTIAN TRAVELLER. 

The young man turned away and wept. For 
some minutes silence was broken only by the 
deep sighs of the aged penitent. There was 
something, in an hour hke this, awfully solemn. 
Heaven was rejoicing, I doubt not, over a re- 
turning prodigal. As he stood alone and wept, 
he reiterated again and again, "Yes, I wdll 
serve God ; I will, I will." After a time, his 
feelings became more calm, and lifting his eyes 
towards heaven, with both hands raised, he 
broke out in singing, — 

** ' There shall I bathe my weary soul 
In seas of heavenly rest, 
And not a wave of trouble roll 
Across my peaceful breast.' " 

And then again he wept and said, "Yes, 
Jesus ! precious Saviour ! " 

The time had come for our young friend to 
leave us. By his zeal in his Master's service 
he had stolen our hearts, and each pressed 
forward to express their friendship in an afiec- 
tionate farewell. 



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